Nursing Class Name
Introduction
The importance of a successful research summary lies in attaining a balanced study appraisal. Summaries allow readers to explore the strengths and weaknesses of techniques applied as well as the paper’s applicability to clinical settings. This paper is a summary of Jill Cox’s (2011) study on the predictors of Pressure Ulcers (PU) in adult patients under critical care. It proves that the author provides content that fits the logic and objectivity of scientific inquiry in PU research.
Background
Ingham-Broomfield (2009) states that a good study contains a precise background information that is precise in addressing its basic elements. These elements include the problem statement, study purpose, the topic’s significance to nursing, objectives, the research questions, concepts, and phenomena. The main aim of this section is to prove that the topic is a good one and introduces variables that are suitable for studying the desired phenomena. It also provides a summary of the problems, research gap, and study purpose among other aspects. Eventually, it should provide a solid foundation upon which the researchers justify and develop their topic.
Cox’s (2011) background information fits Ingham-Broomfield’s (2009) requirements of a good research article in the following ways. As stated above, Cox (2011) studies the causes of pressure ulcers among adult patients under critical care. Drolshagen and Chicano (2009) identify pressure ulcers (PU) as a type of hospital-acquired infection. The author notes that they have become commonplace in healthcare and present a huge burden on caregivers, patients, and their families. This finding shows that the topic is significant to nursing practice.
The study purpose lies in Cox’s (2011) identification of a research gap in the lack of a consensus on the most critical risk factors as well as an exclusive risk assessment scale for PU among critically ill patients. The objective is to determine the risk factors that are most predictive in the occurrence of PU in adult critical care patients. Cox (2011) roughly describes the primary research question as “Which risk factors have the most predictability when studying the occurrence of PU in adult patients under critical care?” The phenomenon is a description of some of the predictors of PU among patients in a critical care facility. However, Cox (2011) lacks a clear definition of the concepts of analysis.
Study Methodology
Ingham-Broomfield (2009) states that before study progression, researchers must identify the four elements of a study methodology. These includes the study type, design, sample, and procedures. The primary objective of this section is to clarify and describe the variables under investigation. It also specifies how the researchers intend to observe and measure the actual research phenomenon. The section encompasses, among others, the variable operational definition, study identification, and sampling procedure (Ingham-Broomfield, 2009).
Cox’s (2011) study has a clear description of each of these aspects as follows. The author conducted a quantitative study based on a descriptive-correlational study design. The selected setting was Englewood Hospital and Medical Center’s 12-bed medical surgical care unit (MSICU). The hospital is a suburban teaching hospital based in Englewood, NJ. Cox (2011) utilized data from adult patients admitted to the unit from October 2008 to May 2009. The participants met an inclusion criterion of being over 18 years of age and having stayed at the unit for more than 24 hours. The ultimate sample size was 347 patients analyzed at a .5 level of significance.
Cox (2011) extracted data from the facility’s computerized systems. The data included various variables such as PU occurrence, Braden Scale score at admission time, Braden subscale scores upon and during admission, age, and arteriolar pressure. Others include the length of hospital stay, total number spent on administrating vasopressors during hospitalization, illness severity, and occurrence of primary comorbid conditions. The demographic information and characteristics at patient level included sex, ethnicity, and current diagnosis. Also, additional information from patients with PU cases included hours of admission, PU location, and PU stage based on the 2007 NPUAP staging system (Cox, 2011).
Study Results
According Nursing Planet (2013), great scientific studies present their results in two main forms, namely raw and visual figures. Researchers usually incorporate raw figures within the text of their reports. In quantitative analysis, it is best for text to accompany raw data for additional meaning and measurement conciseness. The ultimate effect of such a move is to ease the way researchers explain their findings.
As stated above, the author used a sample of 347 participants. The study subjected these individuals to a total of 22 PU predictors. Cox (2011) used SPSS software for data manipulation. The results include descriptive statistics, correlational analysis, logistic regressions, and t-tests as well as chi-square analysis. According to these statistics, age, mobility, length of stay, shear, CVD, and norepinephrine infusion had a significant influence on PU occurrence. These results show that critical care patients have a unique requirement for specialized care at clinical level. The reason behind such suggestions is that they are on the receiving end of more risk factors for PU development compared to their regular counterparts.
This study underscores the need to develop and test a model that would help assess the risk of and prevent PU occurrence among ICU patients. It also offers adequate contribution to existing studies that explain the development of PU in such patients. The model used serves as a foundation for those in practice to develop measures that would help assess and treat those in critical care. Specifically, it helps increase the creation and implementation of PU prevention and treatment initiatives (Whitney, et al., 2011).
Cox (2011) has a desirable impact on all nursing areas including practice, administration, and education. Numerous opportunities are available to research and implementation of PU prevention strategies. Proposed strategies include frequent repositioning, surface support installation, topical dressings, and mobility programs among others. These study and applicability areas are available across all nursing settings including education, administration, and practice. Whitney, et al. (2011) suggests that in education, both students and facilitators analyze each of the above measures eventually presenting their EBP justifications and limitation. In practice and administration, decision makers and nursing staff study and select desirable PU prevention strategies to help inform routine and change management in ICU settings.
Ethical Considerations
Ingham-Broomfield (2009) states that researchers should always consider the implications of their research on study participants, society, and facilities. Thus, health research requires that authors seek permission from appropriate ethics committees before conducting their studies. Ethical committees work in collaboration with universities and health authorities. Such committees include researchers, educators, clinicians, and members of the public. Upon permission grant, researchers should then mention evidence of this permission as a way of showing their respect for scientific inquiry.
Cox (2011) identifies Englewood Hospital and Medical Center’s institutional review board as the study’s ethical reviewer. The researcher also mentions that the study does not pose any significant risk to participants. The reason behind this statement is that the variables used are retrospective health parameters recorded and used during routine care. Also, the author de-identifies any form of personal patient information to ensure privacy and confidentiality.
Conclusion
The approach Cox (2011) uses to write the article provides content that is both logic and exhaustive to nursing practice. Given the above summary, readers can study the author’s theoretical foundations along trend to help guide PU related practice in critical care settings. The paper’s simplicity allows the reader to identify with and consider PU prevention as a process that fits numerous ICU settings. Indeed, it is fulfilling to follow the process up to the time the author reveals age, mobility, length of stay, shear, CVD, and norepinephrine infusion as the PU primary predictors among adult patients.
References
Cox, J. (2011). Predictors of Pressure Ulcers in Adult Critical Care Patients. American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, 20 (5), 365-375.
Drolshagen, C., & Chicano, S. (2009). Wound Care: Reducing Hospital-Acquired Pressure Ulcers. Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing, Vol 36 Iss 1, 45 - 50.
Ingham-Broomfield, R. (2009). A nurses’ guide to the critical reading of research. Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, 26 (1), 102-109.
Nursing Planet. (2013, September 18). Evaluating and Critiquing Nursing Research. Retrieved from Nursing Planet: http://nursingplanet.com/nursing_research/critiquing_nursing_research.html
Whitney, J., Lowe, J., Taylor, S., O'Donell, F., Minton, P., & Zaratkiewicz, S. (2011, November 1). Development and Implementation of a Hospital-Acquired Pressure Ulcer Incidence Tracking System and Algorithm. Retrieved April 6, 2016, from NCBI Web site: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2957315/
