Quantitative Research Article Review
The quantitative research article that I chose to review was a study completed by Dougherty and Thompson (2009), found in Research in Nursing & Health. Very few researchers have focused their study on the impact of cardiac arrest and ICD implantation on a patient’s intimate partner. What little is known about caregiving responsibilities and caregiver burden after a cardiac illness or event has previously been focused on the spousal experiences following an acute myocardial infarction or coronary artery bypass graft surgery (Dougherty & Thompson, 2009). The researchers in this article chose to study the physical and mental health effects of the intimate partners of persons after sudden cardiac arrest and receipt of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). Intimate partners were defined as being the spouse, lover, or significant other living in the same household as the patient during the study enrollment. Complete data collection was obtained from 100 intimate partners that participated in the study. Subjects were recruited from 10 Pacific Northwest hospitals after patient’s received an ICD after cardiac arrest. Data were collected by the researchers between 1999 and 2002.
Definition of Research and Type of Research
The article that was reviewed definitely satisfied the definition of research as given in Knapp (1998). According to Knapp (1998), “research is an investigative activity that has as its goal the advancement of knowledge” (p. 4). The article reviewed investigated intimate partner’s physical functioning, psychological adjustment, personal healthcare utilization, and relationship impact after their loved one experienced cardiac arrest and ICD implantation. Since...
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...rstand the effects of ICD implantation after cardiac arrest on intimate partners. Patients are increasingly surviving life-threatening illnesses and needing to be cared for at home by family members. In order for patients to become healthy and make a complete recovery, the physical and psychological needs of the intimate partner caring for them need to be addressed.
Works Cited
Burns, N. & Grove, S. K. (2009). The practice of nursing research: Appraisal, synthesis, and
generation of evidence (6th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Saunders Elsevier.
Dougherty, C. M. & Thompson, E. A. (2009). Intimate partner physical and mental health after
sudden cardiac arrest and receipt of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator. Research
in Nursing & Health, 32, 434-442. doi:10.1002/nur.20330
Knapp, T. R. (2009). Quantitative nursing research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Loiselle, C. G., Profetto-McGrath, J., Polit, D. F., Beck C. T., (2007). Canadian essentials of nursing research (2nd ed.) Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
The American Heart Association gives sufficient evidence for the need of change by acknowledging that sudden cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death (2012). These fatalities affect both adult and child victims. Statistics also show that 70% of people feel helpless during a cardia...
Emotion-focused couples therapy assists in identifying, processing and expressing partners’ emotional experiences within the context of their relationship. Emotions are treated differentially depending on which emotion is expressed and how it functions for both the individual and the couple (Goldman and Greenberg, 2013). Emotion-focused therapy is rooted in attachment theory, using the lense of early relationship bonds to conceptualize the couple’s relational conflict issues. These early relationships influence one’s identity and self-soothing practices (Goldman and Greenberg, 2013). Terminal illness and end-stage cancer can threaten the attachment bond that creates safety and security within couples. Emotion-focused couples therapy has been shown to be effective when working with couples where one partner is facing terminal illness (Tie and Poulsen, 2013) or end-stage cancer (McLean and Nissim, 2007; McLean, Walton, Rodin, Esplen, & Jones, 2013). Partners who are experiencing depression along with marital distress have also improved with emotion-focused couples therapy (McLean and Nissim, 2007), showing rapid recovery with spousal support and compassion (Gurman, 2008). Considering the case of Skyler and Walter, Emotion-focused couples therapy would be the most effective in alleviating their current relational conflicts that are influenced by Walter’s cancer diagnosis, Skyler’s depression, and both partners’ attachment experiences in early life as well as in their relationship.
LoBiondo-Wood, G., & Haber, J. (2014). Nursing Research: Methods and Critical Appraisal for Evidence-Based Practice (8th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier, Inc.
The purpose of this report is to compare and contrast two different nursing research articles. The report will critique and evaluate two qualitative studies, one being an original research report and the second being a review paper. The scope of comparison and contrast will include research design, theories or conceptual models, how the research was conducted, analysis and reporting of research data, usefulness of the research, and a conclusion.
The unpredictability of the disease makes the assistance of partners important in the care of patients with heart failure. The support from partners or family members contribu...
Treating the patient and family as one, can have improved outcomes, decrease hospital stays, increased patient satisfaction, and improved reimbursements for the hospital. Developing a relationship with not only the patient, but family as well, can pay off in the long run by providing better communication, better quality of care, and trust. The patient and family can be strong advocates for improved performance improvement efforts. Including family in the treatment of the patient treats the “whole” patient through their hospitalization. Involving the family can enhance the patients care.
Smith, P. H., Homish, G. G., Leonard, K. E., & Cornelius, J. R. (2012). Intimate partner
Polit, D., & Beck, C. (2006). Essentials of nursing research: appraising evidence for nursing practice (7th ed.). Phildelphia: Lippencott Wilkins & Williams.
Cullum, N. Ciliska D. and R. Haynes, Marks (2008;) Evidence – based Nursing: An Introduction.
Weng, L., Huang, H., Wang, Y., Chang, C., Tsai, C., & Lee, W. (2011). Primary caregiver stress in caring for a living-related liver transplantation recipient during the postoperative stage. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 1749-1757.
The primacy of spousal support is also evident in research examining physical health outcomes. Reductions of depression in arthritis patients is related to positive support received from the spouse (Schiaffino & Revenson, 1995). Spousal support increases motivations to improve health for heart transplant patients (Rogers, 1987). The marital relationship prior to, and supportive interaction after the intervention, are also associated with the adjustment of cancer patients (Gritz et al., 1990). Social support in marriage can be operationalized in a number of ways, each of which may help elucidate its role in marital functioning. Support can be defined as the number or quality of support behaviors received in marital interactions (received support). This is typically assessed via observational coding systems that allow outside observers to code the occurrence of support behavior. Support can also be thought of as the perception of spouses as to the availability or adequacy of support provided by the partner (perceived
The type of research study, sample size, variables, intervention, measurement method, findings, and conclusion are all mentioned in the abstract. Statement of the Problem The problem explored in the article was stated as a problem statement. In this article, the authors explain the stressful situations of families having loved ones die in the intensive care unit. They also state that this problem is very important because there is poor communication between staff, physicians, and surrogates in the plan of care for end-of-life measures (Lautrette et al., 2007).
Burton, A. (2000) Reflection: nursing’s practice and education panacea? Journal of Advanced Nursing; 31: 5, 1009–1017.
Jacobson, Joy. "Tackling PTSD and ICU patients and their caregivers: studies suggest approaches to averting PTSD." American Journal of Nursing 110.12 (Dec 2010): 18(1). General OneFile. Gale. UMass Dartmouth. 22 Feb. 2011