Refer to the Research in Nursing & Health (Vol. 35, 2012) study of the effectiveness of a pain intervention, Exercises 16.9 and 16.18. Conduct a runs analysis on both the x̅-chart and the R-chart. Interpret the results.

Data from Exercise 16.9

Various interventions are available for nurses to help relieve patients’ pain (e.g., heat/cold applications, breathing exercises, massage). The journal Research in Nursing & Health (Vol. 35, 2012) demonstrated the utility of statistical process control in determining the effectiveness of a pain intervention. The researchers presented the following illustration. Pain levels (measured on a 100-point scale) were recorded for a sample of 10 intensive care unit (ICU) patients 24-hours post-surgery each week for 20 consecutive weeks. The accompanying table provides the means and ranges for each of the 20 weeks. To establish that the pain management process is “in statistical control”, an x̅-chart is constructed.