Nursing Research &
Statistics: Simplified
Guide to Quantitative
vs. Qualitative and
Study Designs
,1. Introduction
Nursing research helps improve patient care by answering questions about
interventions, outcomes, and patient experiences. Statistics are tools that let us
make sense of data and decide whether our findings are real or just due to chance.
There are two main types of research:
Type Purpose Example
Numbers, measurements, Blood pressure before and after
Quantitative
statistical analysis medication
Patient feelings about pain
Qualitative Experiences, perceptions, themes
management
2. Quantitative vs. Qualitative Research
Quantitative Research
• Focuses on numbers and measurable data.
• Uses statistical tests to answer questions like:
o “Does drug X lower blood pressure?”
o “Is there a difference in infection rates between two dressings?”
Common features:
• Data in numbers (BP, HR, lab values)
• Usually has a control group
• Uses tests like t-tests, ANOVA, chi-square
Qualitative Research
, • Focuses on words and experiences.
• Answers questions like:
o “How do patients describe living with diabetes?”
o “What challenges do nurses face in ICU?”
Common features:
• Data in interviews, observations, journals
• Analysis looks for themes and patterns
• Often smaller sample size
3. Common Study Designs in Nursing Research
Study Design Description Strength Limitation
Participants
Randomized
randomly assigned Gold standard Expensive,
Controlled Trial
to intervention or for cause-effect complex
(RCT)
control
Follows a group Time-consuming,
Good for risk
Cohort Study over time to see confounding
factors
outcomes factors
Compares people
Good for rare
Case-Control Study with a condition to Recall bias
diseases
those without
Observes a group at Quick, Cannot show
Cross-Sectional Study
a single point in time inexpensive cause-effect
Qualitative Explores Cannot
In-depth
(Phenomenology, experiences, generalize to all
understanding
Grounded Theory) perceptions populations
4. Key Statistics Simplified
a) $t$-Test
• Compares the means of two groups to see if they are significantly different.
Statistics: Simplified
Guide to Quantitative
vs. Qualitative and
Study Designs
,1. Introduction
Nursing research helps improve patient care by answering questions about
interventions, outcomes, and patient experiences. Statistics are tools that let us
make sense of data and decide whether our findings are real or just due to chance.
There are two main types of research:
Type Purpose Example
Numbers, measurements, Blood pressure before and after
Quantitative
statistical analysis medication
Patient feelings about pain
Qualitative Experiences, perceptions, themes
management
2. Quantitative vs. Qualitative Research
Quantitative Research
• Focuses on numbers and measurable data.
• Uses statistical tests to answer questions like:
o “Does drug X lower blood pressure?”
o “Is there a difference in infection rates between two dressings?”
Common features:
• Data in numbers (BP, HR, lab values)
• Usually has a control group
• Uses tests like t-tests, ANOVA, chi-square
Qualitative Research
, • Focuses on words and experiences.
• Answers questions like:
o “How do patients describe living with diabetes?”
o “What challenges do nurses face in ICU?”
Common features:
• Data in interviews, observations, journals
• Analysis looks for themes and patterns
• Often smaller sample size
3. Common Study Designs in Nursing Research
Study Design Description Strength Limitation
Participants
Randomized
randomly assigned Gold standard Expensive,
Controlled Trial
to intervention or for cause-effect complex
(RCT)
control
Follows a group Time-consuming,
Good for risk
Cohort Study over time to see confounding
factors
outcomes factors
Compares people
Good for rare
Case-Control Study with a condition to Recall bias
diseases
those without
Observes a group at Quick, Cannot show
Cross-Sectional Study
a single point in time inexpensive cause-effect
Qualitative Explores Cannot
In-depth
(Phenomenology, experiences, generalize to all
understanding
Grounded Theory) perceptions populations
4. Key Statistics Simplified
a) $t$-Test
• Compares the means of two groups to see if they are significantly different.
