Class, just to clarify substantive posts. The minimum word count should be no less than about 75 words so about 4 sentences at least. Substantive posts must be more than an agreement of another classmate’s or professor’s post, but you can add information that you’ve learned through your studies with scholarly sources.

Post 1:

The hypothesis is a statement about a prediction of what will happen between a parameter and a specific value. “In most instances, both the null and alternative hypotheses are written to direct the study. The null hypothesis indicates the lack of relationship between the variables or that there is no effect on the variables. The data will show the null hypothesis to be either true or false” (Ambrose, 2018). The null hypothesis is a statement that there is no difference between a parameter and a specific value. It is the starting point of an investigation. The alternative hypothesis is a statement that there exists a difference between a parameter and specific value. It is contrary to the null hypothesis.

Example #1

Hypothesis testing in research is used both in determining the effectiveness of medications. For example: Taking Claritin while receiving bone marrow stimulant injections.

Null Hypothesis: Taking Claritin when receiving a bone marrow stimulant has no effect on reducing bone pain.

Alternative Hypothesis: Taking Claritin when receiving a bone marrow stimulant will reduce the side effect of bone pain.

Criteria for rejecting the null hypothesis:

Data obtained in research shows patterns that either reject or fail to reject the hypothesis. If the data reveals a difference between the null hypothesis and the alternative hypothesis, then the null hypothesis can be rejected. As a result, the alternative hypothesis can be accepted. A failure to reject the null hypothesis indicates no effect is shown by the evidence” (Ambrose, 2018). “When a difference in an outcome (eg, pain) between exposures (eg, treatment groups) is observed, one needs to consider whether the effect is truly due to the exposure or if alternate explanations are possible” (Skelly, 2011). For example, the alternative explanations related to research on the use of Claritin when receiving bone marrow stimulants such as Filgrastim could be impacted by other factors. Maybe some patients were taking pain medications that improved their pain relief and may not have been the effect of Claritin. Alternative explanations need to be carefully considered.

Why important in practice and with patient interactions?

During my everyday interactions with patients, I receive questions about Claritin and its effect on reducing the side effect of bone pain. Some studies show no effect, and others show that it helps reduce bone pain. During patient interactions, it is important to know how to translate the research so that our patients can make educated decisions. My patients who tried Claritin have experienced no effect, while others have expressed that it helps relieve their bone pain.