Running Head: Phase Three

Evaluation of a Research Study

Phase III

Yusleiby Castillo

Florida National University

Professor Nora Hernandez Pupo

Date June 28, 2022

 

Evaluation of a Research Study: “Translating evidence to practice in the health professions: a

randomized trial of Twitter vs Facebook”

Has the author formulated an appropriate research question based on the problem/issue?

 

The main purpose of the research study was to develop a comparison of the change within the research-informed knowledge of health professionals and the intended practice following the exposure to adequate research information delivered through either Twitter or Facebook. Thus, the author of the articles tends to appropriately formulate the research question in regards to the identified research problem. In general, there tends to be a major gap between the research-generated healthcare knowledge as well as the clinician practice (Tunnecliff et al., 2016). The formulated research question allows the targeted audience to be in a position to attain a detailed understanding of the ability of social media to connect diverse researchers as well as a clinician from various regions, disciplines and areas of practice across the globe and its ability to be a positive medium for exchanging knowledge as well as education.

Furthermore, understanding the impact social media, Twitter and Facebook, respectively, have on the enhancement of clinician knowledge and ability to promote behaviour change allows health facilities and professionals to appropriately utilized the information attained from the social media to enhance their skills and knowledge in their divers fields within the medical practice (Tunnecliff et al., 2016).

Is the research question clearly defined in terms of its scope and relevance?

 

The advancement of information technology tends to have a significant impact on how various activities are being conducted in the modern world. Thus, it may be asserted that the developed research question tends to clearly define the aim as well as the relevance of the research. Further, it tends to review the effectiveness of various social media platforms to be able to develop a robust conclusion on the impact social media have on clinician knowledge enhancement (Tunnecliff et al., 2016).

In addition, it also tends to guide the researcher to focus closely on the use of social media platforms in education and the various impacts it may have in promoting learning experiences and enhancing knowledge as well as skills. Moreover, the formulated research question also tends to be relevant as it focuses on the two main social media platforms ( Twitter and Facebook) by reviewing the ability of these applications to utilize user interaction and text, videos as well as web links to allow their users to be able to effectively engage with each other (Tunnecliff et al., 2016).

What is the author’s orientation towards the research problem/issue- is it critical analysis or interpretation based?

Research orientation may be described as the level of emphasis that a person or organization may have on specific research compared to other academic activities. Research orientation tends to be a major influence on the attitudes towards research, research motivation as well as the perceived level of intellectual demand by the research. The author’s orientation towards the research was academic as they sought to identify the gap between the research-generated healthcare knowledge and the clinical practice(“Themes, orientations, and research directives,” 2017). The academic research orientation often focuses on the scientific community, which tends to be the main audience for researchers who want to address their results. In addition, the academic orientation further tends to reflect on the traditional academic values as well as norms which include academic freedom and curiosity-driven choice of the research topics.

Additionally, following the aspects of the academic orientation, the authors’ orientation of the research has significantly motivated the researchers to focus more on achieving a detailed understanding of how social media platforms are significant tools for enhancing the knowledge and skills of health care professionals (“Themes, orientations, and research directives,” 2017). In addition, a significant population of health professionals tends to utilize various social media platforms to achieve relevant knowledge and information regarding their profession.

How does this article contribute to your understanding of possible research modalities and methods?

In research, modality may be described as the form of behaviour, expression or way of life which tends to belong to a specific person or a group of people. On the other hand, research methods may be described as the various approaches that are utilized to collect as well as analyze data (Namey et al., 2021). Thus, from a personal understanding, the research tends to follow a systematic research approach to enable it to be able to acquire the appropriate data to answer the research question. The research utilized an open-label randomized comparative design and a mixed-methods approach to be able to acquire as well as analyze the necessary data. In addition, the research modalities utilized in the research are the various ways in which the social media platform may be used to enhance the knowledge and skills of health care professionals (Namey et al., 2021). Majorly, the significant use of Twitter and Facebook in the modern world tends to be the main modality of this research as it aids in understanding forms of behavior within the social media platform as well as the approaches that may be utilized to enhance knowledge and skills among the healthcare professions.

What are the strengths, limitation of the study?

A major strength of the study is that it offered a detailed understanding of how the various social media platforms ( Twitter and Facebook, respectively may be used to enhance knowledge and skills among the health care professionals(Tunnecliff et al., 2016). Another significant strength is that it offers a detailed understanding of the various behaviour that health care professionals may have about the social media platform and how it may be utilized to enhance continuous knowledge and skills advancement.

On the other hand, the main limitation of the research is that it tends to lack a controlled group hence not able to adequately evaluate the impact of learning effect from a social media platform. Due to this, it is quite essential for another research to be conducted with a controlled group to be able to determine if the use of social media platforms as a tool to enhance the skills and knowledge of health care professionals is helpful or not(Tunnecliff et al., 2016). Additionally, the research also followed a randomization approach, which comprised of high risk of bias, and as a result, the findings of the research may not be generalized.

Which Essentials do you see represented in this article and why?

The main essential that I have identified being represented in the study is the importance of social media platforms to promote knowledge and skills. The research identifies that technology is part of modern society, and it is important for various organizations and filed to develop ways in which they may promote continuous knowledge and skills enhancement through the social media platform(Tunnecliff et al., 2016). Additionally, a significant population around the world are members of either Twitter, Facebook or both, and thus it tends to be a convenient way of sharing crucial information within the healthcare field as well as other professional fields.

 

 

 

References

Namey, E., Guest, G., O’Regan, A., Godwin, C. L., Taylor, J., & Martinez, A. (2021). How does qualitative data collection modality affect disclosure of sensitive information and participant experience? Findings from a quasi-experimental study. Quality & Quantity. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-021-01217-4

Themes, orientations, and research directives. (2017). Ethnographies of Reason, 199-200. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315580555-23

Tunnecliff, J., Weiner, J., Gaida, J. E., Keating, J. L., Morgan, P., Ilic, D., Clearihan, L., Davies, D., Sadasivan, S., Mohanty, P., Ganesh, S., Reynolds, J., & Maloney, S. (2016). Translating evidence to practice in the health professions: A randomized trial of Twitter vs Facebook. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 24(2), 403-408. https://doi.org/10.1093/jamia/ocw085