Improving the Quality of Life for Multiple Sclerosis Patients by the Nurse Home Visiting Model - Essay Example

Article Critique Article Critique Introduction Evidence based nursing research papers need to fulfill the various characteristics of an efficient article. For example, the papers must clearly indicate the various sections using labeled titles. The sections include abstract, literature review, introduction, research design, methodology, objectives, and research questions. These sections also have their specific requirements; for example, objectives must be stated clearly and they should explain what they aim at achieving (Polit, & Beck, 2012). This paper aims at determining whether the article, “Improving the quality of life for multiple sclerosis patients using the nurse-based home visiting model,” by Akkus and Akdemir satisfies all the essentials of an efficient evidence-based nursing research paper. Abstract The study has an abstract although it does not have a title. The reader recognizes that the abstract section is actually an abstract because it has a summary of various sections of the study. Readers also recognize this because the next section after the abstract is the introduction. The abstract is structured because it has sub title that summarize various sections of the study, for example, purpose, results, methods, and conclusion (Akkus, & Akdemir, 2012). The abstract explains clearly that the purpose of the study was to determine the effect that home visit interventions had on the difficulties that Multiple Sclerosis patients face. The abstract also explains that the study used questionnaires to collect evidence and that the results indicated that home visits helped to increase the quality of life of the patients who suffer from Multiple Sclerosis (Akkus, & Akdemir, 2012). The abstract has failed to give a summary of the literature review that was used in the study. The lack of a clear summary of the literature used in the study makes it hard for the reader to recognize the level of evidence used. There are five levels of evidence that are contained in a pyramid with the first one being systematic reviews and the last one being the expert opinions. Research Purpose There is no clear problem statement in this study, which is an essential factor in evidence based research (Polit, & Beck, 2013). The reader only identifies the objective of the research in the abstract and in the beginning of the methodology section. The reader does not also easily identify the reason for conducting this study. The introduction section explains the symptoms that Multiple Sclerosis patients exhibit such as fatigue, visual impairment, and infections of the urinary system (Akkus, & Akdemir, 2012). These symptoms indicate that the patients of the disorder need to be taken care of by their families. The symptoms of the disease also indicate that these patients require special home care because the disease is chronic to prevent it from spreading to other people. The research also indicates that there are only few studies that have been conducted related to effects of home care on multiple sclerosis patients (Akkus, & Akdemir, 2012). This explains the rationale of undertaking the study although the research has failed to explain it clearly. The problem in the study has significance for nursing because nurses need to recognize the need for taking care of multiple sclerosis patients while they are at home. Nurses will also identify and understand the education that they need to give to families of multiple sclerosis patients. Research Questions The research has failed to list the research questions that the study aimed at answering at the end of the investigation. The research has also failed to list the hypotheses that were to be accepted or rejected at the end of the study. The lack of hypotheses in the study is not acceptable because they enable readers to identify the independent and dependent variables of the research (Polit, & Beck, 2013). Therefore, the lack of hypotheses in the study indicates that there are no clear variables in the research. Literature Review The research has failed to identify the literature review section. The literature review gives a background of the previous studies that were conducted in the subject area and the theoretical framework (Polit, & Beck, 2013). However, a careful review of the introduction section of the research indicates that the literature review is contained in this section. This is because the section identifies various previous studies that were conducted by other researchers, their objectives, and findings. For example, the research indicates that Pozilli et al. conducted a research that aimed at comparing the benefits and limitations of hospital care and home-based care on multiple sclerosis patients (Akkus, & Akdemir, 2012). According to the research, this study found out that home-based management has higher benefits than the traditional method where patients were managed in hospitals. The four health areas that improved with home-based care include social functioning, body pain, general health, and role emotional (Akkus, & Akdemir, 2012). The research also argues that the study conducted by Debolt et al. indicated that an eight week exercise program that was home-based improved the strength of leg muscles in the adults who took part in the study. The research has failed to identify the method uses in collecting evidence for this study and its purpose. The only thing identified about this research is the finding. The research has also failed to summarize the purpose and method used to collect finding in other studies such as Brittle et al. and McCullagh et al (Akkus, & Akdemir, 2012). The literature review has also used researches that were conducted more than five years before the date of publication. The research was published in 2011 and yet it has used articles as old as those that were published in 2008 and 1998. Variables The variables under study are not mentioned clearly; this is because the study lacks hypotheses. However, in the study design, the research indicates that factors that were being measured on patients under study include the Quality of Life (QoL) and the Expanded Disability Status Score (EDSS). The dependent variable is the one that changes while the independent variables do not change during the study (Polit, & Beck, 2013). Ethical Considerations The research obtained consent from participants before including them in the study, and it did not also coerce participants to take part where they did not want to (Akkus, & Akdemir, 2012). The research also indicates that it obtained approval from the committee of ethics of the medical sciences faculty. The study has not stated whether it used participants from the vulnerable groups in the society. Theoretical and Conceptual Framework The study has not identified any conceptual or theoretical framework and there is no justification for lack of these factors in the research. The researcher may have used a theoretical framework that discusses the various theories that explain the occurrence of multiple sclerosis. There are four different theories whose explanation differs on the actual cause of the disease. The four hypotheses argue that the disease may be caused by genetics, geographical region, smoking and stress, and infectious agents (Polit, & Beck, 2013). The research would have also used a conceptual framework that explains the relationship between the dependent and independent variables. Conclusion The article by Akkus and Akdemir has failed to meet most of the essentials of an evidence-based research paper. For example, the article has failed to include the title of the abstract section, and it does not also have sections such as research questions and objectives. The research does not also identify the dependent and independent variables and it does not also have hypotheses, which are essential for such a paper. The study has also failed to recognize the literature review section and it has instead merged this part with the introduction. The research also lacks a conceptual and theoretical framework that guides readers in understanding the analysis of findings and conclusion. The fact that this paper lacks all the stated essential factors of an evidence-based paper means that it is disorganized and unreliable to researchers who may wish o rely on it in future studies. References Akkus, Y., & Akdemir, N. (2012). Improving the quality of life for multiple sclerosis patients using the nurse-based home visiting model. Caring sciences 26. 295-303. Polit, D. F., & Beck, C. T. (2013). Study guide for Essentials of nursing research, appraising evidence for nursing practice. Philadelphia: Lippinkott Williams, & Wilkins. Read More