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| Category | Summary points | Critique
(strengths and limitations) |
Implications for policy, practice, and research |
| Research Design
Descriptive questions
Why was this study conducted? Aim of study?
Design – Is it quantitative or qualitative, or mixed methods?
In quantitative studies, what is the intervention and control group?
Who delivered the intervention, and what did it involve?
Critical questions
Is it quantitative or qualitative, or mixed methods?
Is this design appropriate for the research question? |
This study was conducted to determine the relationship between a nurse manager’s leadership styles and its influence on staff nurse’s work engagement. It has used both methods.
The intervention group is the group that receives, for example, a drug being issued. The control group consists of people who do not receive the medication administered, for instance. De Carlo delivered the intervention. He issued self-report questionnaires.
Qualitative method.
Yes, it is. |
Strengths:
The study used a valid scale to measure work engagement. (Utrecht WE scale)
POQ scale helped determine the level of employee satisfaction
The supervisor’s responsibilities were linked closely with how workers engage.
Job performance was found to be influenced by the supervisor’s task allocation procedure.
The data procedure was all-inclusive as the researchers divided the hospital specialties and rankings.
Permission to conduct the study was granted by the Ethical Committee for faculty research. Limitations: The study connected leadership to academic merit as most nurse managers had bachelor’s degrees. The study failed to capture any differences the workers and leaders had among them.
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The government will be required to change its labor and employment policies to include the wages for staff nurses’ motivation.
Manager nurses will have to practice transactional and transformational leadership techniques as they are more preferred than laizes-faire. More research will have to be conducted to determine what managers should employ leadership techniques.
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| Sample / population
Descriptive questions
The setting of study?
Recruitment strategy?
Sample size and justification? E.g., power calculation?
Characteristics of participants?
Who was excluded from the study Critical questions
What type of sampling has been used?
Is this appropriate for the chosen research approach?
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224 Health Care employees
An Italian public healthcare organization Only employees from the health care organization It has not been stated
All had studied medicine or nursing. Subordinate staff members.
Cluster sampling
It is appropriate as it covers all the required personnel. |
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| Data collection
Descriptive questions
Qualitative – semi-structured interviews or focus groups or observation?
Quantitative – what measures were used? Who completed the measures?
When were the measures administered?
Did any participants drop out?
Length of follow-up?
Critical questions
What methods did they use to collect the data?
Was this appropriate to the research approach used?
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Self- report Questionnaire
Semi-structured interviews were used in the form of open-ended questions.
Self-report measures.
Supervisors and staff nurses, and health administrative staff.
After approval by management to conduct a study, the year 2015.
Seventeen participants had missing data. A month.
Self- report questionnaires
Yes, because researchers covered all matters in question.
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| Analysis
Descriptive questions How was the data analyzed?
Who analyzed the data?
Was the analytic process transparent?
If quantitative – what statistical tests were used?
Could it be easily replicated? Critical questions
How were the data analyzed?
Was the analysis technique appropriate to the research approach?
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By estimating a structural equation model with the observed variables. De Carlo
Yes
Bentler chi-square test
No
Researchers separated missing data from filled-in data.
Yes |
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| Results
Descriptive questions
What were the main findings? Include themes for qualitative study or ‘significant’ and non-significant results for a quantitative study.
Critical questions
How were results reported?
Were they clear?
Did they answer the research question? |
Work engagement was positively associated with job performance and job satisfaction.
Responsibility towards colleagues was positively associated with work engagement. Significant results: a method to improve researchers found job performance and satisfaction. Researchers found manager’s responsibilities to influence nurse staff’s commitment towards their work highly.
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| Rigour
Validity & reliability in quantitative studies OR Trustworthiness & credibility in qualitative studies
Critical question
How did the researchers ensure these?
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The research was thorough as analyzers did tests on the information provided.
Quantitative studies are reliable as they are anonymous, and participants can express opinions discretely.
They used degree scales like the Utretchtwork Engagement scale showing (1)strongly disagree to (6)strongly agree. |
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Ethical considerations
Descriptive questions
Was the study granted ethical approval?
Did the researchers ensure informed consent, anonymity/confidentiality for the participants?
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Managers should allow nurses more time to complete tasks.
Managers ought to pay more attention to nurses needs and requests Yes by management
All participants acted voluntarily, and their identities were anonymous.
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| Discussion
Descriptive questions
Did the authors discuss the results taking into consideration the findings of previous research on the same topic?
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Yes, the authors acknowledge that Positive Organisation Questionnaire (POQ) had been used in previous research of 537 Italian Employees, and it had shown discriminant validity. |
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| Strengths & limitations
Descriptive questions
Did the authors identify any strengths or limitations?
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Strength:
Issue of responsibility was highly considered as the success factor. Limitation: POQ should be tested further as it may give biased results |
NOTES