Practical Application

Survey Research: Applying a Practical Example 

https://youtu.be/3Yppnf6Y_rI?si=WBce77zR4qNHACRM

Created by: Bianca Rivera, RN

Critiques 

• The first issue with our example questionnaire is that there is already a validated tool for assessing burnout in health professionals that is considered the gold standard: the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). A common issue with survey research questionnaires is "reinventing the wheel". It's generally a good practice to first conduct a comprehensive literature review to identify existing validated surveys or instruments that align with your research objectives. More information on the MBI is posted below. 

• Question #1 does not include the full possible range of responses and assumes that people who do not identify as male or female would "prefer not to answer". This is discriminatory against gender minorities and could be perceived as structural violence.
  
  

• Question #2 does not include potential age ranges for nurses younger than 20 years of age.
  
  

• Question #3 is closed-ended and is not inclusive of all nursing profession types. This question could be improved by having an open-ended question instead where respondents can input their area of work in a free text box.
  
  

• The question order could be improved- having question #4 placed before question #5 could impact question #5's results leading to response bias.
  
  

• Question #5 also has limited response options that could restrict respondents' ability to accurately express their views- having an area for "neutral" or "unsure" would be beneficial due to the closed-ended nature of this question.
  
  

• Question #6 is unclear in its wording and could lead to misinterpretation and biased responses.
  
  

• Question #6 is the only question assessing for burnout and solely focuses on one area of burnout (emotional exhaustion).
  
  

• Question #10 asks for personal identifiers. Questions that touch on sensitive or private topics can lead to discomfort and lower response rates. Ensuring confidentiality and anonymity can help address this issue. This can be addressed by including an option for the participant to select a "prefer not to say" response in that field or by having this field indicated as voluntary.

• There is no specific question regarding the number of hours that the participant regularly works e.g. causal, part-time (<50%), part-time (>50%), or full-time positions, with the additional option to indicate if they work beyond the hours of their position. This could be beneficial to identify patterns of burnout in each category and compare hours worked and the prevalence of burnout. 

• There is no question that pertains to the length of shifts that are worked, i.e. does the participant work primarily 8-hour, 12-hour, 16+ hour shifts, or a combination of each? Vidotti et al (2018) indicate that shifts of 12 or more hours increase the rate of burnout.

• There should be an area that addresses the amount of evening and night shifts that the participant works. Vidotti et al (2018) found that nurses working evening or night shifts have a significantly more likelihood of experiencing burnout.

• There is no statement about how the information collected will be used. The survey also asks for individually identifying information and does not say if responses will be anonymous or how identifying information will be managed.