LOCUS OF CONTROL ORIENTATION AND LEVEL - Drake University

Data Collecting Tools
Data were collected from patient records and from the Multidimensional
Health Locus of Control (MHLC) scales. Scores on the pain assessment tool
and pertinent demographic data were elicited from the subjects' records. The
MHLC scales were used to determine into which category of LOC the subjects
were placed.
The Patient Record
The patient record was utilized to collect both demographic data and the
pain measurement scores. The demographic data collected included gender,
age, medicd'diagnosis, surgical procedure and date, and type of analgesia (see
Appendix D for demographic data collection tool). Polit and Hungler (1987)
described patient records as an economical source for a wealth of information
and a less time-consuming method of data collection. The use of records
assures that reactivity and response biases are eliminated. The researcher may
also more easily study trends over time. Polit and Hungler identified the major
disadvantage of collecting data from records as being that the researcher has not
collected the information and may not be aware of or able to control for biases
and limitations.
The Pain Scale
The piin scale used by the nurses who had cared for the subjects was
adapted from the principles of a visual analogue scale (VAS). A VAS is a type
of magnitude scaling. Magnitude scaling is a data collection technique
developed to enable a researcher to obtain values which are more discriminative