965 Course Syllabus

Specific objectives will be determined by each faculty member offering a Special Topics course, the following objectives are for Quality Outcomes: Research Issues and Methods by Carol Smith, RN, PhD, for Summer, 2002.

1. Explain the historical development of quality outcome measures in health care systems.
2. Analyze issues related to quality definitions and measurement.
3. Apply knowledge and skills necessary for leading quality related interdisciplinary research.
4. Analyze the interplay of quality research issues and doctoral education outcomes.

Textbooks: None

1. Review initial course syllabus guide and assignments.
2. Complete one research paper on one quality research topic (25%).
3. Develop in class a proposal for one quality of life measurement (20%).
4. Conduct one 2-hour seminar with discussion related to the paper (20%).
5. Participate in classroom discussions with visiting scholars, guest lecturers, etc. (20%).
6. Self-evaluate your skills for conducting quality research based on the PhD program terminal objectives (15%).

91% - 100% = A
81% - 90% = B
71% - 80% = C
61% - 70% = D

• Dykes Library
  • http://library.kumc.edu/
• Online Journals
  • http://library.kumc.edu/journals/onlinejnls.asp
    a good place to go to look for research articles to critique.
• Human Subjects Tutorial
  • http://classes.kumc.edu/son/NRSG965/humansubjects.html
• Carol Lindeman - Dean, NLN President, emeritus -
• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
  • http://www.ahcpr.gov
• PhD terminal objectives - evaluate yourself -
• Health policy
  • http://www.hpts.org

Access to the library's electronic journals and IP restricted databases is available to current KUMC faculty, students, staff and eligible users.  Remote access can be attained two ways; KUMC On-Line or the KUMC proxy server.

Instructions for remote access of the library's electronic materials is now included in the Introduction to Web-based Learning module.  The instructions are at http://classes.kumc.edu/general/wbmodule/anatomy_remote_access.htm. Within the module you can get to this page through the Skill Session page and the Anatomy of a Course page.  The directions are also included into the standardized help page.

Any student in this course who needs an accommodation because of a disability in order to complete the course requirements should contact the instructor or the ADA/504 Coordinator (913-588-7813, TDD 913-588-7963).

Behavioral expectations in NURS 460:

1. In general, unless specified, all work in this course is to be completed alone.
2. General consultation with others may be acceptable as long as it does not result in a substantive contribution to the course assignment.  When in doubt, check with the professor.
3. The instructor expects you to uphold the traditional expectations for research and scholarly work, i.e., ethical interactions with one another or research participants, appropriate use and crediting of sources in all written materials, appropriate protections of confidential and anonymous data, etc.
4. Plagiarizing, the presentation of the words or ideas of another person without proper citation or attribution is not acceptable.
5. Members of a designated group are responsible for assuring that all students whose names appear on the assignment contributed to the project.
6. I encourage you to seek additional feedback regarding writing style, APA style, and clarity of papers from other students, professional colleagues, or staff of the Student Services Department, Student Center.

The following are unacceptable behaviors in any research:

1. Failing to protect the confidentiality of data.
2. Revealing the identity of research subjects, unless negotiated with said participant.
3. Violating the integrity of a study by influencing the sampling process for personal convenience or preference.
4. Violating individual rights by coercing potential subjects to participate in a research study.
5. Disclosing codes for access to computer files of data sets.
6. Changing or fabricating data or research results.