Good Review Of Articles Literature Review Example

Review of Articles

Sanford, J., Townsend-Rocchicciolli, J., Horigan, A., &Hall, P. (2011). A process of decision making by caregivers of family members with heart failure.Research & Theory for Nursing Practice, 25(1), 55–70.

What is the purpose of this research?

The purpose of the research is to examine decision making by caregivers of heart failure patients.
What is the research question (or questions)? This may be implicit or explicit.
The research question of the study is explicitly stated and is “how do caregivers of family members with heart failure make decisions?”
Did the authors describe the design of this study? If so, give a description.

What characteristics does this study possess that are qualitative in nature? Review Chapter 2.

The research studied variables that cannot be quantified, it sought to describe a phenomenon about which little is known, and it employed grounded theory methods.
What is the evidence that this journal is peer-reviewed? Does the journal have an editorial board? (Look for the journal’s website to discover this information)
The journal “Research & Theory for Nursing Practice” is an international journal published by the Springer Publishing Company.The journal is peer-reviewed as the company lists a number of editors on its website such as Margaret Zuccarini and Elizabeth Nieginski.
Is there evidence of any conflict of interest? Do the authors have any potential financial gain from the results of this study?

Describe the population for this study.

The population of the study consisted of family members of patients who had been diagnosed with heart failure.
How was the sample selected? What are the strengths and weaknesses of this sampling strategy?
The participants of the study were recruited through convenience sampling from inpatient hospital units, adult day care facilities, and cardiology offices. The strength of this sampling technique is: it is relatively inexpensive as participants are selected based on ease of access. The disadvantage of this sampling strategy is that the sample selected is not representative of the whole population hence the findings of such studies cannot be inferred to the population.
Were the subjects in this study vulnerable? Were there any risks for them as the result of participation in the research study?
There is no evidence to suggest that the participants in this study were vulnerable or exposed to any risks. However, like participants in all studies, they faced the risk that confidentiality of their responses would not be maintained.

Are there any HIPAA concerns that are evident in this study?

Several HIPAA concerns are evident in this study. Firstly, caregiver decision making implies that the family members have access to their patient’s health records. HIPAA allows such access if informed consent is granted by the client. The authors do not eleborate on how care givers obtained access to the medical records of their patients. They, however, addressed the HIPAA concerns regarding the use of patient information for research purposes. They report that they obtained informed consent from the institutional review board and the respondents. In addition, they removed all personal identifying information when reporting the findings of the study.
Schwarz, K., Mion, P., Hudock, D., &Litman, G. (2008). Telemonitoring of heart failure patients and their caregivers: A pilot randomized controlled study. Progress in Cardiovascular Nursing, 23(1), 18–26.
What is the purpose of this research?
The primary objective of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of postdisharge telemonitoring by an advanced practice nurse in reducing consequent hospital readmissions, emergency department visits, costs, and prolonging the time between discharge and subsequent readmission among elderly clients with heart failure. The secondary objectives of the pilot study were to study quality of life, depressive symptomatology, caregiver mastery as well as social support for the target population of the study.
What is the research question (or questions)? This may be implicit or explicit.
Does the use of electronic health monitoring (EHM) as compared to usual care significantly lower hospital readmissions, emergency department visits, and costs of care for patients with heart failure.
Does the use of electronic health monitoring (EHM) as compared to usual care reduce rates of depressive symptomatology and increase quality of life, days to readmission, and caregiver mastery.

Does social support, caregiver mastery, and EHM reduce hospital readmission risk for patients with heart failure.

Did the authors describe the design of this study? If so, give a description.
The study employed a randomised controlled trial design. The authors, however, failed to provide an explicit description of the design of the study. Details of the design can, however, be deduced from the research article and include randomisation of participants to either an intervention or usual care group based on a draw.

What characteristics does this study possess that are quantitative in nature? Review Chapter 2.

The study collected data of numerical nature using structured instruments, analysed the data using numerical statitics, and used a large sample size. In addition, all the aspects of the study were carefully planned prior to the study, and findings of the study were organized in tables and figures.
What is the evidence that this journal is peer-reviewed? Does the journal have an editorial board? (Look for the journal’s website to discover this information)
The journal, “Progress in Cardiovascular Nursing”, is peer-reviewed with an editorial board whose members include Marguarite M. Engler and Nancy M. Albert.
Is there evidence of any conflict of interest? Do the authors have any potential financial gain from the results of this study?

Describe the population for this study.

The population for the study consisted of heart failure patients and their caregivers who routinely used the a 537-bed tertiary teaching hsopital located in Northeastern Ohio.

How was the sample selected? What are the strengths and weaknesses of this sampling strategy?

Participants for the study were selected through convenience sampling. All heart failure patients who met the inclusion criteria for the study were invited to participate in the study before discharge. The advantage of convenience sampling is that it saves time as the researcher selects participants closest to him or her for inclusion in the study. The disadvantage of this method of samping is that the sample selected may not be totally representative of the target population. This limits the degree to which findings of a study can be extrapolated to the rest of the population.
Were the subjects in this study vulnerable? Were there any risks for them as the result of participation in the research study?
The subjects in the study were vulnerable on account of the advanced state of their conditions. For instance, they relied on the advanced practice nurse to interpret their physiologic parameters and intervene as appropriate through telemonitoring. They also relied on their caregivers in monitoring their physiologic parameters. Therefore, there were risks of misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatments.

Are there any HIPAA concerns that are evident in this study?

The HIPAA concern evident in this study is the use of patient information for research purposes. The authors to the study addressed this concern adequately by seeking informed consent from the participants of the study and removing all personal identifying information from the data collected. The other HIPAA concern in the study is disclosure of patient information to caregivers.

References

Sanford, J., Townsend-Rocchicciolli, J., Horigan, A., & Hall, P. (2011).A process of decision making by caregivers of family members with heart failure.Research and Theory for Nursing Practice, 25(1), 55–70.
Schwarz, K. A., Mion, L. C., Hudock, D., &Litman, G. (2008).Telemonitoring of heart failure patients and their caregivers: A pilot randomized controlled trial. Progress in Cardiovascular Nursing, 23, 18–26.