NURS FPX 5005 Assessment 2 Quantitative and Qualitative Research Publication Critique

Quantitative and Qualitative Research Publication Critique

The critical analysis of qualitative and quantitive research focuses on in-depth analysis and review of each step. The qualitative research method is more concerned with the detailed exploration and evaluation of new concepts and experiences regarding research methods. Quantitative analysis is more related to measuring variables and testing hypotheses. The assessment will analyze the strengths and weaknesses of a qualitative and quantitative research study and its ethical implications. The study will explain the significance of qualitative and quantitative analysis for the research problem of older patient falls. The study will evaluate the importance of a qualitative and quantitative research study as the appropriate method for sharing the patient care decision-making processes. 

NURS FPX 5005 Assessment 2 Quantitative and Qualitative Research Publication Critique

Strengths and Weaknesses of Quantitative Research Study

The Effect of Exercise Intervention on Reducing the Fall Risk in Older Adults: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

For quantitative research, a meta-analysis (a quantitative method) of RCTs (Randomized Control Trials) is selected. The article analyzes the effects of an exercise intervention on reducing falls among older adults. The effects are examined by conducting a comprehensive meta-analysis. Elderly patients aged more than 65 years old are more prone to such falls, which cause them physical injury, disability, and death. Falls affecting their quality of life also result in extra economic burdens on patients. The article stresses the need to address the issue in older adults by stating its severe consequences.

The above-mentioned study was based on randomized controlled trials of exercise on older patients. The evaluation of data is according to the guidelines of the Cochrane Collaboration Protocol. It includes different aspects of the exercise intervention such as type, duration, and frequency. The authors used a proper research strategy i.e., searching credible databases to collect the data. They also included another quality assessment strategy based on the Pedro scale having 11 points and a maximum score of 10 and the quality of the included articles was checked as per the scale while the data was analyzed using authentic software. The statistical analysis was performed through Revmansoftware to calculate the Standardized Mean Difference. The results showed that patient falls among older adults can be reduced with the help of the proposed intervention by performing exercise more than five times a week and continuing for 32 weeks. The sample size for the research work was 648 subjects which is enough to make the conclusions generalized, counting it as a strength of the research work.

Overall the strength of the article is the provision of solid ground to support the effectiveness of the exercise intervention in reducing patient falls and associated risks in older adults. The strengths of the articles include their comprehensive scope (covering a wide range of high-quality articles), rigorous methodology (meta-analysis based on randomized controlled trials), clear findings (clear and detailed results about positive effects of the intervention), and practical implications (balanced and moderate frequency and intensity of exercise).

In the previous paragraph, the strengths of quantitative research were discussed. The following paragraph highlight some weaknesses such as the trials might not give the full picture of the intervention’s effects on patient falls among older patients. Moreover, the authors have not related comorbidities, economic conditions, and willingness of the elderly that may affect the results. Also, self-reported data in the study could cause some doubts related to the conclusions. However, the analysis could have been improved by including a comparison of the proposed intervention with other strategies to reduce patient falls among the elderly. 

Ethical Implications

Ethical implications are of paramount significance in healthcare research. They ensure that the rights, safety, and health of participants are primary considerations. Some of their rights include protection from undue risks, informed consent, and respect. Also, these implications improve the quality and reliability of the research, which ensures public trust in healthcare (Bhandari, 2021). In this study, an informed consent statement is not applicable as the research is based on the analysis of articles. The ethical implications of the article can relate to ensuring the access of all older adults to safe intervention for a reduction in the risks of their falls. Belmont principles play a crucial role in ethical principles and provide guidelines for ensuring the principles of respect, beneficence, and justice for persons (Parker et al., 2019).

According to Belmont’s principle of respect, every person should be treated equally as an autonomous agent which means the equal provision of protection. The principle of beneficence help in securing the well-being of all individuals without causing any harm. The principle of justice ensures fairness in the distribution of resources and services to all persons regarding their individual needs and efforts. All the research included in the analysis is based on safe exercise interventions, which ensure the safety of participants. Secondly, the interventions used in the research should meet the needs of participants i.e., their morbidities, and physical abilities. In the article, the intervention is related to healthy participants, meaning no relation to patients having health issues.

Significance of the Research Problem

The problem discussed in the quantitative research is the risk of falls among older patients. The problem is significant due to its severe effects on patients’ health and the economy. Falls among the elderly can cause them severe injuries i.e., head injuries or any other disability, or even death. They may face disability or fear of mobility, causing their limited independence (Vaishya & Vaish, 2020). Falls can also cause psychological distress among older patients other than physical harm. About 30% of patients older than 65 years fall every year. Moreover, the estimated care expenses due to such falls result in almost $50 billion per year (Florence et al., 2018). Therefore, addressing the issue using different interventions is imperative.

NURS FPX 5005 Assessment 2 Quantitative and Qualitative Research Publication Critique

Evaluation of Quantitative Study

Informed decisions about older patients can be made taking quantitative research as a source of information. The research works demonstrate the effectiveness of exercise intervention for older patients. Health providers delivering care to older patients can utilize the training-based exercise intervention to reduce fall risks in the ward. They can incorporate the intervention in their organization’s policies as an evidence-based practice. The research work also suggests that professionals do more research on the effectiveness of the intervention by including economic conditions. Utilizing the research as an evidence-based practice health professionals can improve the quality of life for patients and save them from physical or psychological harms associated with falls. The study could be improved by including a comparison of the intervention with other fall-prevention strategies. Besides, the inclusion of data about the patient agreement and the economic conditions of the intervention could have made the research work better.

Strengths and Weakness of Qualitative Research Study

Use It or Lose It: A Qualitative Study of The Maintenance of Physical Activity in Older Adults

While discussing physical activities, it addresses the problematic lack of physical activity which is prevailing worldwide. The article also underlines the significance of physical activity and how it improves the quality of life. It gives better insights into the maintaining behavior related to physical activity among older adults. The authors presented comprehensive research exploring the effects of physical activity on the physical and mental health of older patients. The research work is based on a qualitative approach to state the factors contributing to physical activity behavior and maintenance level among older adults. They used a thematic analysis approach and interpretation was done by two research coders. They conducted in-person interviews with the adults who had been a part of trial groups or had an experience with home-based exercise. The study exhibits a detailed overview of the levels of physical activity among older adults. Researchers conducted interviews of participants at their homes which gave information about physical activity levels among them before and after the intervention i.e., exercise in trial groups (FaME), and home-based exercises (OTAGO). They also revealed health benefits, contributors, barriers, and the use of technology in maintaining physical activity. Another strength of the study is that the interviews were transcribed and analyzed without changing the wording and also they were analyzed using authentic software i.e., NVivo10. The study covered a lot of aspects like benefits (physical and psychological), barriers, facilitators (social, environmental), social interaction, et Cetera. The study also includes information about the use of technology for motivation and maintenance of physical activity even though the original interventions did not include this facet. The data was analyzed through the framework analysis to interpret the participant’s statements. Researchers and professionals can get benefits from the research work as it has covered the topic in detail.

The study has some weaknesses from my point of view. For instance, the size of the focus group was small, making it difficult to generalize the results. The data is taken only from a certain region of the United Kingdom, leading to challenging the applicability of the intervention in other regions or countries. Moreover, the study does not exhibit the effects of socioeconomic status and access to resources on the maintenance of physical activity. Lastly, the inclusion of some quantitative data might have improved the research work as concrete evidence.

Ethical Implications

National Research Ethics Service Committee South East Coast granted ethical approval for the research work and their written consent was also ensured. Before conducting interviews, researchers took participants’ face-to-face informed consent in written form at their homes. They were allowed to withdraw from the research at any time. Also, they were informed that the data collected till their withdrawal would be utilized after their approval. The results of the study were also unbiased as the interviews were transcribed word-to-word without any changes. The interventions were designed such that they cause no distress to the participants. The research work only included English-speaking adults, showing a lack of ethical implications for people from other language backgrounds.

Significance of the Research Problem

The topic addressed in the qualitative research work is the lack of physical activity. The problem is significant because physical activity keeps older people physically and mentally active, reducing their chances of chronic diseases (Cunningham & O’Sullivan, 2020). Physical activity reduces the chances of morbidities like cardiovascular disease, cancer, falls, dementia, disability, and depression (Cunningham et al., 2020). Other than that, it can boost their strength and balance. Physical activity among older people has a lot of other benefits like reducing depression, and anxiety, and improving social interaction. Thus, it improves the quality of life for older adults, leading them to a healthy life (Langhammer et al., 2018). However, the inclusion of socioeconomic effects and access to the sources could have elaborated the significance of physical activity more effectively. The interest of participants in the topic also demonstrates the significance of the research problem as 54% of the invited people showed interest in participation (Maula et al., 2019).

Evaluation of Qualitative Study

The research work can be an informative source for health professionals especially nurses dealing with older adults. They can use the information during their practice and decision-making process. Providers can utilize the interventions of physical activities as evidence-based strategies to help older adults manage their physical activity at home and hospital. After knowing the barriers to physical activity, health providers can make further efforts to mitigate them and leverage the interventions for better health outcomes for patients. The analysis is based on the assumption that the qualitative research about physical activity among older adults is showing benefits of physical activity on older adults’ overall health.

NURS FPX 5005 Assessment 2 Quantitative and Qualitative Research Publication Critique

Conclusion

Qualitative and quantitative research analysis play a role in the critical observation and evaluation of the research problem with different data analysis methods. Informed decisions about older patients can be made by considering quantitative research. Qualitative analysis information can be used in practice and the decision-making process. In this assessment, the strengths and weaknesses of a qualitative and quantitative research study and its ethical implications were analyzed. The studies explained the significance of different approaches for preventing older patient falls. 

References

 Bhandari, P. (2021). A guide to ethical considerations in research. Scribbr. https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/research-ethics/

Cunningham, C., & O’Sullivan, R. (2020). Why physical activity matters for older adults in a time of pandemic. European Review of Aging and Physical Activity, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s11556-020-00249-3

Cunningham, C., O’Sullivan, R., Caserotti, P., & Tully, M. A. (2020). Consequences of physical inactivity in older adults: A systematic review of reviews and meta‐analyses. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 30(5), 816–827. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.13616

Florence, C. S., Bergen, G., Atherly, A., Burns, E., Stevens, J., & Drake, C. (2018). Medical costs of fatal and nonfatal falls in older adults. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 66(4), 693–698. https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.15304

Langhammer, B., Bergland, A., & Rydwik, E. (2018). The importance of physical activity exercise among older people. BioMed Research International, 2018(1), 1–3. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/7856823

Parker, M., Pearson, C., Donald, C., & Fisher, C. B. (2019). Beyond the Belmont Principles: A community‐based approach to developing an indigenous ethics model and curriculum for training health researchers working with American Indian and Alaska native communities. American Journal of Community Psychology, 64(1-2), 9–20. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12360 

Vaishya, R., & Vaish, A. (2020). Falls in older adults are serious. Indian Journal of Orthopaedics, 54(1), 69–74. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43465-019-00037-x