Nursing Research and Pilot Study
What Is Pilot Study,Benefits of Pilot Study for Nursing,Outcomes of Pilot Study,Results of Pilot Study
What Is Pilot Study
A pilot study is a smaller version of a proposed or planned study
that is conducted to refine the methodology for a larger study. A pilot study
uses subjects, settings, and methods of data collection and data analysis
similar to those of a larger study.
It is recommended that all large-scale studies have either pilot
work or other preliminary work as evidence of feasibility of the project and to
demonstrate the competence of the investigator with the area of study.
Feasibility issues that might be addressed in a pilot study include the
availability of subjects and estimating the time required for recruitment of
subjects, the conduct of the investigation, and the cost of the study.
Particularly when planning studies with populations that may not be easily available
or accessible, a pilot study is an opportunity to develop or refine sampling
methods and to evaluate the representativeness of a sample.
Benefits of Pilot Study for Nursing
Preliminary work in the form of a pilot study provides an
opportunity to identify problems with many aspects of study design. One
important design issue that can be evaluated during the pilot work is
determining the number of data collection points and the optimal time between
phases of data collection.
Pilot work can be used to develop, test, or refine a
study protocol, including the treatment or intervention to be used in an
experimental or quasi-experimental study. Sufficient pilot work is necessary to
support: the efficacy of an intervention prior to proposal submission for a
large-scale intervention study.
During a pilot study, extraneous variables that
had not been considered in the design may become apparent, and methods to
control them can be introduced when the larger study is designed.
Outcomes of Pilot Study
Pilot work also allows the development or refinement of data
collection instruments, including questionnaires and equipment. The performance
of instruments with a particular sample under specific conditions can also be
evaluated in the pilot project.
When collecting quantitative data, the
reliability and validity of instruments and the ease of operation and
administration can be evaluated prior to data collection in a large-scale
study. This is an important step, whether the data collection instruments are
interview schedules, questionnaires, computers databases, or equipment to
gather biophysical data.
For example, during pilot work, questionnaires can be
evaluated for clarity of instructions, wording of questions, reading level, and
time required for completion. For qualitative studies, pilot work may be
important for gaining experience in interacting with the sample and with
aspects of data collection, coding, and analysis.
Results of Pilot Study
The results of a pilot study are likely to be significant for the
larger proposed study. If the pilot study is of sufficient size, estimates
about the relationships between variables and of effect sizes can be made.
This
is essential not only for statistical power analysis but for a better
understanding of the phenomena under study. Pilot studies often provide
important insights into the problem being investigated and may lead to
reconceptualization of the problem or refinement of the research questions.