Heart Failure - Data Management and Analysis - Essay Example

Heart Failure Introduction Heart failure is a long-term chronic condition that is diagnosed when the heart fails to pump enough fresh oxygen-rich blood. Emphasising this perception, the study will critique the research conducted by Korajkic, Poole, MacFarlane, Bergin & Dooley (2011) assessing their justification to all the consequences and implementations of pharmacist intervention on ambulatory heart patients. A critical assessment will also be conducted based on the research projecting the ethical norms of human participants. Notably, Korajkic et al. (2011: 126) concludes that there are “significant differences between” the groups when concerning pharmaceutical doses, which relate to heart failure-related knowledge as well as understanding, which will also be discussed in the following report. Nevertheless, the reviewing also notes that in order to enhance the relevance of the report, approval was obtained from Alfred Human Research Ethics Committee and Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee but lacking any further information about obtaining free consents from the human participants. This certainly increases the validity of the inference drawn in the article that the pharmaceutical interventions developed the capability of patients concerning heart failure to self-adjust its diuretic dosage by using a flexible dosing schedule based on patient’s weight, resulting in worth of life enhancement and a decrease in hospital readmission due to overload (Korajkic et al., 2011). The review will thus search to critique the article arguing that a general thesis statement of this research should be that general people must be aware of their self-consciousness, medical awareness along with knowledge of probable symptoms for better living. Data Collection The population of respondents in the research by Korajkic et al. (2011) was selected from a clinic of Melbourne, Australia, involving patients with heart failure who were admitted to the clinic from February 2008 to October 2008. Correspondingly, 75 respondents were recruited as the samples to be studied in the article being categorised into two different sub-groups, i.e. 35 patients under usual care and 35 under pharmacists’ intervention. As apparent, the independent variable of the study was the form of care being delivered to the patients; while accordingly, the dependent variable was determined as the rate of change observed in these patient groups for the 3 months period of the study. Besides, the independent variables of the study comprised the primary symptoms of fluid retention, measuring weight along with self-adjusting dose in addition to the patient’s age and diagnosis of disease (Korajkic et al., 2011). The data was gathered through observation and medical reports of the patients based on their regular visits to the clinic or their re-admissions. As per the rationales provided by the authors to follow the observation method for this study, the scope of gaining an in-sight to the patient’s improvement from heart failure risks through the medication, without causing interruptions in their treatment process, had driven to such selection. Notably, because the authors restrained from making the observations in conditional environment, no effect was caused to the patients. Data Management and Analysis The data collected for the study in Korajkic et al (2011) was managed by maintaining a paper trail of critical decisions made by the healthcare practitioners for the entire period of intervention for each individual patient. Correspondingly, the authors used the Chi-square or Fisher’s exact test for binomial variables and Student’s t-test or Wilcoxon rank-sum test for continuous variables. According to Korajkic et al (2011), the rigor process of the data was assured by the implementation of the intent-to-treat basis, using Statistical analysis software, version 8.2, which also assured the accuracy and the rigor of the data analysed eradicating the possible chances of biases. However, the authors mention no comparison of the data gathered that however spares a chance of biasness in the research findings obtained, wherein self-inflicted data could have been included in the data management and data analysis methods. Findings Korajkic et al (2011) interpreted, on the basis of the findings obtained that a pharmacist intervention would improve the ability of heart failure among patients to increase self-consciousness about health conditions, flexible dosage, as well as self-adjustment with medication. The authors further suggested that it would be resulting in the improvement of the quality in life of those patients assuring lesser chances of their readmission due to heart failure. This study proves that knowledge of health as well as heart failure along with other adjustments should help to co-operate patients to their health-conditions in a self-conscious manner. Many different scholars also drew a similar conclusion. For instance, Jaarsma et al (2013) as well as Barnason, Zimmerman and Young (2011) also argued that a self-conscious patient could live a better life with limited readmission risks to the hospitals than other dependent patients could. The findings can therefore be asserted as reliable being based on the real life scenario. The authors addressed a number of limitations in this study among which, the most crucial was the chances of biases that the authors could identify being strongly influenced by the type of intervention programmed. The authors also address that the research process was much slower and was time consuming as only 1 among 3 patients sufficed the inclusion criteria. The reports being delivered by only a single pharmacist also inhibited the reliability of the study on the basis of his/her behavioural, judgemental and attitudinal issues. Overall, these limitations imposed an effect on the generalisability of the study to a considerable extent. Nevertheless, the study had maintained a high degree of coherence in throughout apart from confirming its logical description and implications for nursing practices. According to Korajkic et al (2011), the research leads to the perception where doctors would give necessary medical knowledge about heart failure system to patients during their clinical observations and check-ups. However, as the author concludes, the implications of the findings might be limited to patients of the population considered for this study, as only one physicist and one clinical environment had guided the entire process. These limitations, on a positive note in turn, deliver a wider scope of research on the same subject. Conclusion With this research, Korajkic et al (2011) concludes a huge responsibility towards the nursing practice as well as the patients also. It is certainly of utmost importance that general people should understand about their self-consciousness, medical awareness along with knowledge of probable symptoms implying strong importance and congruity of its thesis. This research thus points out specific drawbacks of nursing systems as well as implements the probable solution on that particular point. Although the study lacked clarity on the ethical considerations, the findings obtained imposed a crucial underpinning to the domain of nursing practices when concerning the issue of heart failure keeping a lasting impression on such intervention planning. References Barnason, S., Zimmerman, L. and Young, L. (2011). An integrative review of interventions promoting self-care of patients with heart failure. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 21, 448–475. Jaarsma, T., Strömberg, A., Gal, T. B., Cameron, J., Driscoll, A., Duengen, H. D., … Riegel, B. (2013). Comparison of self-care behaviors of heart failure patients in 15 countries worldwide. Patient Education and Counseling, 92(1), 114-120. Korajkic, A., Poole, S. G., MacFarlane, L. M., Bergin, P. J., & Dooley, M. J. (2011). Impact of a pharmacist intervention on ambulatory patients with heart failure: A randomised controlled study. Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research, 41(2), 126-131. Read More