Critique of Research Article Essay

Critique of Research Article Essay

Critique of Research Article Essay

Critique of Research Article

Critiquing a research article implies carrying out a careful yet critical look at the strengths as well as limitations of any undertaken research without necessarily pointing at the flaws it may contain. The review will entail analyzing the introduction, review of literature and the methodologies employed with the intention of summarizing ideas and the present information as it was but with a critical approach (Zimmerman, 2003). This essay will first identify an article in nursing before its critical aspects based on introduction, theoretical framework, and literature review and methodology are present. The essay will also explore the strengths and the limitations that do exist with the article carried out and how it ought to have been made better. The article chosen is entitled: “Residents’ experiences of interpersonal factors in nursing home care: A qualitative study.”

Research Problem/Purpose

The main aim of this essay is to come up with a concrete understanding of what residents go through in nursing home care through a critical analysis of the qualitative research article mentioned in the introduction part. The critical thinking approach used has been borrowed from the article by Beck (2009).

The report outlines what nursing home residents go through to ensure that adequate care is given to the adults with complex health related issues. With life expectancy becoming longer, those admitted for home care services are expected to be more and hence this area is critical in nursing. Getting the nursing home resident’s experience can help improve service delivery.

The researchers have placed the research problem in the context of the existing knowledgebecause care giving is an important aspect in nursing. There already exists knowledge of how the elderly are taken care of in such facilities and any new knowledge will broaden the scope of this nursing area.

The study will solve a problem related to nursing since home care giving is important as it deals with providing care to the elderly who are normally affected by numerous chronic illnesses that always need close monitoring. In such facilities, multidimensional nursing services are offered making this research to be very much related to nursing.

The purpose of the research was to explain the resident’s experience of the nursing homes and how it directly links with provision of quality health care.

Review of the Literature

The authors of the article had adequately given a summary of the related research conducted on the phenomenon of all aspects concerning nursing care. However, the accounts given were not detailed as it ought to have been. In some instances, the author could not clearly bring out the gap in the knowledge that was being presented. However, it had a clear flow easy to bring out the correlation between what was done and how it relates to what was to be done.

 In previous studies undertaken, the author identified that good quality of care is quite important and it depends on residents who are primary sources of finding out the correlation between interpersonal factor and the quality of care being offered. Recent studies however provide a clearer understanding of the interpersonal factor as it is based on interviewing residents as a way of improving the relationships they have with nurses and hence improve quality of care.

Moreover, most of the references were current

Theoretical Framework

The researcher gave an account of the key concepts related to quality of care which are directly related to the research. The concepts were essential in helping the reader comprehend the meaning of interpersonal issues of nursing and how they relate to not only provision of medical care but also psychological and physical care. However, the author didn’t give a clear conceptual framework for the study.

Nursing care is a multidimensional concept that entails many disciplines. The research went beyond nursing theory. It was more of a social theory approach as it also encompassed aspects of the social welfare of residents and how to ensure that their well-being is catered for. Other considerations were ethical as the article explains that the old have also to be respected and given all fundamental human rights which include the right to quality healthcare.

Moreover, a theoretical framework is not stated in the study, rather the author just compared and contrasted the content based on one research theory as a way of bringing out the content of the study.

Variables/Hypotheses/Questions/Assumptions

The two variables emanating from this research are provision of quality healthcare (dependent variable) and the views obtained from nursing home residents (independent variable). The ultimate goal is to critically analyze the nursing experiences faced by these residents and how their voices can be used as tools to restore better healthcare services.

This was a qualitative research whose scientific explanation was not based on concrete statistical proof. The operational definitions are not directly given as they are complex to measure. Most of the responses obtained in questionnaires was based on attitude and views of residents based on what they feel. Such a measure is not quantifiable but rather a study based on a cause and effect scenario.

The research question was not stated in this study.

Methodology

This was a qualitative research which was based on descriptive and exploratory design. Inductive reasoning was employed for the study since there was no hypothesis to build on. Based on data generated from the research, authors were able to make conclusions. Since the design used was exploratory, reasoning was based on generalizations from specific observations made from the research conducted. From the generalization, an inference was made which was logically meant to represent what was obtained from the data.

The sample size was made up of four public municipal nursing homes in Norway. In the study, 15 residents that were mentally coherent were used as the sample population. The target group comprised those aged above 65 years and having been residents of nursing homes for more than one month. The sampled population was also required to be of sound mind. Random sampling was done after identifying the target group (Draper, 2014).

The investigator used a probability sampling approach where the target population had a fair chance of being chosen as a representative sample. The selection was thus random with an opportunity for selection fixed and known. Additionally, the reliability and validity tools used included questionnaires, self-checklists, Rating scales, scheduled interviews as well as tally sheets for attitude scales.

Ethical issues were considered and addressed and at the end of the article, an ethical approval from the regional committee for medical and Health Research Ethics was given under Ref number 4.2008.190.

Data Analysis

Since this was a qualitative research, no statistical tools were used for data analysis. However, in-depth interviews were carried out and tape recorded and later on transcribed.  A mind mapping tool was also used.

Results were presented in theory form showing the views on the nursing home quality. They were presented as comparative studies under sub headings such as: views residents had concerning home quality, caring and interpersonal aspects and the effect all these have on the quality of life in a given nursing home. The results were also presented in table format showing the main categories of resident nurse interactions.

One major finding obtained from the interview is that some interviewees felt less worth. They imagined nursing home residents are neglected as they receive less attention and nurses at times do not respond to alarm bells. The research indicates that most respondent resorts to verbal confrontations to get service.

Summary/Conclusions, Implications, and Recommendations

The authors concluded that for there to be quality nursing care in a nursing home, there has to be psychological care that is balanced with an individually dedicated approach. The implication is that it is very critical to have resident’s integrity protected. The best way to have their interests protected is recognize those residents and their individual needs.  

The strengths of the study were a conclusive analysis of how quality of medical provision ought to be improved and the general issues of interpersonal aspects of health care. The research has also shown that there is need for the nurses to consider personal help for the elderly as a way of accommodating individual needs (Beck, 2009). The limitations of the study was on a small sample size selected. The results could have made more sense if the sample size was bigger.

Additionally,I believe the study findings can be generalized to many other nursing areas since most of the challenges and findings obtained from this research are not exclusive to the nursing home care but rather to the general nursing healthcare. The sampled age of 65 years is known to have many chronic complications and hence they need a multidisciplinary care giving which incorporates many areas of healthcare.

Moreover,the findings obtained and the conclusions drawn are very important in nursing. Firstly, the findings inform nursing stakeholders of the need to invest more resources in ensuring that the elderly are well taken care of. The study also set a standard for future nursing practices in home care and ensure that the quality of services rendered are quality as the elderly will not feel neglected as the findings have shown.