Key point! The data collection section of a research article includes: who collects what data when, where & how.
In previous blogs we’ve looked at title, introduction, and other elements of methods section (design, sample, & setting). In this one let’s take a look at data collection.
Data are a collection of measurements. For example, student scores on a classroom test might be 97, 90, 88, 85, & so on. Each single score is a datum; collectively they are data.
What data are collected is answered in this section. The data (or measurements) can be 
numbers OR words. For example, numbers data might include patient ratings of their pain on a 0-10 scale. An example of word data would asking participants to describe something in words without counting the words or anything else. For example, word data might include patient descriptions pain in words, like 
“stabbing,” “achy,” and so on. Sometimes a researcher collects both number and word data in the same study to give a more complete description. You can see how knowing the patient’s pain rating and hearing a description would give you a much clearer picture of pain.
- Studies reporting data in numbers are called quantitative studies
- Studies reporting data in words/descriptions are called qualitative studies
- Studies reporting number & word data are called mixed methods studies
How the data are collected includes what instrument or tool was used to gather data (e.g., observation, biophysical measure, or self-report) and how consistently & accurately that tool measures what it is supposed to measure (e.g., reliability & validity). Also included is who collected the data and the procedures that they followed—how did they obtain consent, interaction with subjects, timing of data collection and so on.
Now you know!
Critical thinking question: Did these authors use qualitative or quantitative data collection methods? Coelho, A., Parola, V., Escobar-Bravo, M., & Apostolo, J. (2016). Comfort experience in palliative care, BMD Palliative care, 15(71). doi: 10.1186/s12904-016-0145-0. Explain your answer.
Evidence-based practice = best available evidence + expert clinical judgment + patient & family values/preferences.
practice journals that are beginning to grow–these take best information from the research report all the way through clinical recommendations. For research reports per se, 
database; & there when you find information that fits using your key search terms, you can also look for related articles & get full-text through interlibrary loan or online. Another strategy is take the article that fits your clinical issue to your librarian, and ask for help in finding more research on the identical clinical issue.
Ok, so you found some GREAT, new & improved clinical guidelines that exactly fit the problem that you are trying to solve on your unit. Now What??? How do you get from the guidelines from paper to practice? & How do you know that the guidelines are any good any way? Where are the tools for all this?
Some of the best evidence on what to teach is from CDC. These experts have reviewed the best available literature and developed these clear 
Scientific evidence is not static. It is dynamic and ever evolving. This is not a problem with science, but is part of its very nature–that of discovery.
Chipmunks” cartoon: “Everyone with a nose knows the nose knows everything.” 
Privacy
applications, such as maps and camera. The iOS version for the iPhone can access all Google data.
Safety: 
• A health system that began seeking input from patients and families 
level.
In pain management are you afraid to give comfort to your patients with appropriate medications? Are you afraid to be comforted when in pain? Have you encountered families or care partners, who are afraid to comfort their loved one in pain by giving pain medications?
information. We have to find evidence-based practices that can create a change of heart, if you will. As Zerwekh et al wrote: “Because fear is so influential in decisions to keep pain under control, palliative educational approaches must go beyond providing information to fill deficits in palliative knowledge.”
