A hospital introduces colour-coded wristbands to help nurses remember which patients need a fasting blood test. After the first week, the ward records fewer...
Question 1 Report
A hospital introduces colour-coded wristbands to help nurses remember which patients need a fasting blood test. After the first week, the ward records fewer missed fasting instructions, but staff also receive a written reminder at every shift handover.
(a) Identify one extraneous variable in this evaluation. [1]
(b) Explain why this variable prevents a clear conclusion about the wristbands. [2]
(c) Evaluate one improvement to the study design that would make the results more useful. [3]
Answer Details
(a) Written reminder at shift handover [1] (b) The reminders may improve nurses' memory for fasting instructions [1]. Therefore fewer missed instructions cannot be attributed solely to the colour-coded wristbands [1]. (c) Any three linked points: compare a ward using wristbands with a similar ward without wristbands [1]; keep handover reminders the same in both groups [1]; compare missed instructions over the same period, so differences are more likely to be caused by wristbands [1].
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