Chapter III

METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the discussion of the research design, the

locale of the study, the population and the sampling procedure, the data

gathering instruments, the data gathering procedures, and the statistical

treatment of data.

Research Design

This study had used the descriptive – correlation method of

research. Descriptive research design is a design which seeks to describe

the nature of a situation as it exists at the time of the study, and to

explore the causes of a phenomenon. Correlation research design is a

design to determine and describe what relationship exists between the

variables.

Locale of the Study

The study was conducted at Ilocos Training and Regional Medical

Center (ITRMC), a 300-bed capacity tertiary hospital which is located at

Barangay Parian San Fernando City, La Union. ITRMC is a "DOH-

Corporatized" health care facility in the Ilocos Region, providing a full

range of health service, training and research activities. Services are

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provided through a network of private and government clinics, hospitals

and other related facilities. The institution is supported educationally

through affiliations with a number of universities, medical schools,

schools of Nursing and other allied medical professions. ITRMC has the

mission to build a healthy constituency by serving as the focal center for

health service, training and research activities in the Ilocos Region, and

to provide health services that are responsive, acceptable, accessible and

affordable, encompassing promotive, preventive, curative and

rehabilitative.

Respondents of the Study

The respondents of the study were the patients admitted in Ilocos

Training and Regional Medical Center (ITRMC) during the month of June

to July 2006. The respondents were selected through purposive sampling

wherein the respondents were carefully chosen based on the judgment of

who best qualify the objectives of the research and who is thought to be

the best to represent the phenomenon being studied.

During the months of June and July 2006, there were sixty-eight

(68) respondents objectively selected from the different wards of the

hospital. Fifteen (15) patients from the obstetrics and gynecology ward,

eight (8) patients from the male surgical ward and ten (10) patients from

the female surgical ward, seventeen (17) patients from the medical and

communicable disease wards, and six (6) patients each from the
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neurology – urology ward, ophthalmology – EENT ward and orthopedic

ward.

Data Gathering Tool and Procedure

A questionnaire was the main tool for data gathering. Part I dealt

on the profile of the respondents while Part II was the level of awareness

of patients in Ilocos Training and Regional Medical Center (ITRMC) on

their rights. The questionnaire was constructed by the researchers and

was reviewed and validated by selected instructors, chief nurse of Ilocos

Training and Regional Medical Center (ITRMC) and Bethany Hospital,

who were expert in that discipline. The questionnaire was written in

English and was further transcribed in Filipino to facilitate better

understanding of the respondents on the questionnaire’s contents. It was

explained also individually to the respondents as the need arose. The

reliability of the questionnaire was tested by pre-testing it to patients of

Bethany Hospital, a 300-bed capacity tertiary hospital located at

Barangay II, Widdoes St. City of San Fernando, La Union. The Cronbach

α and the software of the SPSS wire was used to determine the reliability

of the questionnaire.
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Data Analysis

After the researchers gathered the necessary data and information

needed for the study, the collected data were tallied and tabulated and

the results were statistically treated in accordance with the objectives of

the study.

Frequency counts and percentages were used to determine the

profile of the respondents; on the other hand, weighted mean was used

to determine the level of awareness of patients admitted in Ilocos

Training and Regional Medical Center (ITRMC) on their rights.

Formula (Weighted Mean)

n
X= Σ Xi Wi
i=1 n

where:

Wi – weight of each score

Xi – item value

X – weighted mean

n – total number of items in the sample

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Pearson Product Moment Correlation was also used to determine

the significant relationship between the profile and the level of awareness

of patients in Ilocos training and Regional Medical Center with regards to

their rights.

Formula (Pearson Product Moment Correlation)

n (Σ xy ) – (Σ x) (Σ y)
r=
[ n (Σ x2) – (Σ x)2] [ n (Σ y2) – (Σ y)2]

where:

x – observed data for the independent variable

y – observed data for the dependent variable

n – sample size

r – degree of relationship between x and y

Rating Scale

The following rating scale was used in this study.

Point Value Statistical Range Descriptive Equivalent

3 2.4 – 3 Very much aware
2 1.7 – 2.3 Aware
1 1 – 1.6 Not aware