Existing population-based health databases: useful resources for nursing research.
Important research questions, such as the prevalence of health conditions in specific groups and health disparities, can be addressed through population-based health databases. Government-funded, federal databases can provide nurse researchers with a representative sample for various levels of analyses. Population-based health databases easily accessed from federal government Web sites for analysis are identified and discussed. These databases, such as the National Health Interview Survey and the National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses, were collected through rigorous probability sampling and data collection methods and can be generalized to the population of the study. The benefits and limitations of analyzing the databases as a research approach are summarized, using examples from the recently released National Survey of Children's Health. Findings from population-based studies provide significant information on health-related indicators and contribute to the development of sound recommendations for health care practice and policy, thereby supporting evidence-based practice. Analyses of population-based databases provide additional opportunities for nurse researchers to contribute to health policy and evidence-based practice within a framework of nursing-health services research.
Zeni
Mary Beth
MB
College of Nursing, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA. mzeni@nursing.fsu.edu
Kogan
Michael D
MD
D002487:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S.; D014487:Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S.; D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare; D018672:Community Health Planning; D003625:Data Collection; D019992:Databases as Topic / Q000458:organization & administration*; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D035082:Federal Government; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000458:organization & administration; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009309:National Center for Health Statistics, U.S.; D015399:Nursing Research / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012107:Research Design; D014481:United States; D016270:United States Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; D014483:United States Dept. of Health and Human Services; D014488:United States Health Resources and Services Administration