Pediatric patients receiving prescribed extended care

Full Answer Section

This is a great research question! You've clearly defined the components of your study, which is crucial for developing a strong research proposal. Let's break it down:

P (Population): Pediatric patients receiving prescribed extended care

• This defines the specific group of patients you're interested in.

• Be sure to consider any specific sub-populations within this group that might influence outcomes (e.g., age ranges, diagnoses, severity of illness).

I (Intervention): Implementation of a leadership training program for healthcare providers

• This is the core of your study.

• You need to be very specific about the type of leadership training program:

  • What are the key topics covered?

  • How will the training be delivered? (e.g., online modules, workshops, mentoring)

  • How long will the training last?

  • What is the expected impact on provider leadership skills?

C (Control): Standard leadership practices

• This is the comparison group.

• You need to clarify what constitutes "standard leadership practices" in the context of your setting.

• This will help you isolate the effects of the leadership training program.

O (Outcome): Quality of patient care and staff satisfaction

• These are your primary outcomes.

• You'll need to specify how you'll measure them:

  • Quality of Patient Care:

    • Use validated measures for patient safety, clinical outcomes (e.g., hospital readmission rates, infection rates), and patient satisfaction surveys.

  • Staff Satisfaction:

    • Use validated surveys to assess staff morale, job satisfaction, and perceptions of leadership effectiveness.

T (Time): Over a 6-month period

• This defines the timeframe for your study.

• 6 months is a reasonable timeframe for seeing potential changes in outcomes.

To further refine your research question, consider:

• The type of healthcare setting: Is it a hospital, clinic, home health agency, or other?

• The specific leadership skills targeted by the training program: Are you focusing on communication, team building, conflict resolution, or other areas?

• The potential confounding variables: Are there other factors that could influence the outcomes (e.g., staff turnover, organizational changes)?

By addressing these details, you can develop a well-defined research question that will lead to a robust and meaningful study.

Sample Answer