Sampling Considerations in Emergency Nursing Research

Quantitative study designs seek to answer specific questions, such as, "Does a bedside triage by the care nurse significantly decrease ED throughput?" Quantitative study designs can involve an activity called an intervention to answer the question, using sampling methods that allow the results to be applied beyond the small group that is studied, and using statistics to report results.1 Qualitative study designs, on the other hand, seek to answer general questions to find out detailed information, such as, "What is an ED patient's perception of safety?" More specific information can be discovered by following up a qualitative study with a quantitative study. Whereas a power analysis completed in a quantitative study design may indicate that a sample size of hundreds and perhaps thousands of study participants may be needed, data saturation in a qualitative study design is reached with far fewer participants--as few as 6 or up to 40.5,6 Conclusion Sampling for emergency nursing research presents many challenges to the investigating team.