Question

Select one qualitative and one quantitative question that you are interested in investigating. Identify the independent and dependent variables. Next, create a hypothesis or set of hypotheses to go along with your research question. Identify your hypothesis as one of each of the four categories below and explain why your hypothesis fits into these categories (hint: review chapter 3).

• Associative or causal
• Simple or complex
• Nondirectional vs. directional
• Null vs. research

Answer 1

1. qualitative

question: what are the innovative patient counselling techniques which could be given from nurses' station on discharge of the patient ? Here, patient counselling technique is the dependent variable and discharge summary/ diagnosis of the patient is independent variable. Hypothesis can be formulated as, Innovative patient counselling techniques improve the treatment awareness when given from nurses' station for patients as well as bystanders on discharge. It is a simple hypothesis with direct relation between the variables without multiple variables or even any calculation.

2. Quantitative

question: what is the fraction of diabetes patients of a tertiary care teaching hospital develop microvascular complications after 10 years of diabetes mellitus? Here diabetes mellitus diagnosis is independent and microvascular complication is dependent variables. Hypothesis can be formulated as Diabetes mellitus patient with a history of 10 years or more have higher risk of developing microvascular disorders. It is an associative hypothesis with the microvascular complications and subsequent morbidity associated with an underlying medical condition, ie, DM.