Analyzing an article - Heel Lancing in Newborns - Essay Example

Analyzing an article - Heel Lancing in Newborns the problem and is it significant to Nursing, explain The problem that is considered here is the pain that a new born undergoes during heel lancing. Heel lancing is a technique used by the nursing profession to check the metabolism rate of the new born to find any errors. It is significant to nursing profession because of the complexity involved in determining the pain and the lack of proper facilities that could assist them in measuring such pain.

(Morrow, 2010)2. State the purpose and is it significant to nursing, explain The purpose of this research is to evaluate the differences in pain realized by the neonates during the process of Heel lancing when it is twisted and wrapped in cloths and when it is kept still. (Morrow, 2010) The results of this research could help significantly for the nursing profession as it gives an idea for the nurses on when to perform the heel lancing procedures.3. Identify the independent and dependent variables, the population and the setting.

The total number of infants employed in the study was 42. The setting was such that the infants were selected if they satisfied two conditions. First, they should have greater than 37 weeks of gesticulation period and secondly, they should have successfully undergone the total serum bilirubin (TSB) procedure. (Morrow, 2010) The entire research was conducted in a successful and popular tertiary hospital. The dependent variables used for the measurement included the behavioral response of each child.

The independent variables included the squeeze level of the nurse, the position of holding the new born and the condition of whether it swaddled or not. 4. Are the problem and purpose feasible to study? Explain why or why not. Yes, the problem is feasible to study as the results obtained have clearly met the expectations and aim of the research. 5. Describe the method / instrument used to measure each independent and dependent variable. The independent variables were determined by the nurses who were holding on to the baby.

The dependent variables were measured using Neonatal Inventory Pain Scale (NIPS) which uses a scoring instrument that scores the behavioral responses in the range between 0 and 1 and based on the total score, the pain is measured. (Morrow, 2010)6. Identify the hypotheses being tested and / or the research questions being studied.The hypothesis is that the time for which the neonate’s heel is squeezed would be greatly reduced if the neonate is held in upright position combined with it being swaddled up.

Such a reduction of time would greatly help in minimizing the sufferings of the neonates during heal lancing procedures.7. Summarize the strengths and weaknesses of this study. The strength of the study is that it was performed in real time situations and hence strengthens the validity of the results. Also, there is not much deviation of the results when compared with those of the theoretical approach. The weakness of the study is that it did not provide information about alternate findings on the same subject.

Also, infants of mothers affected with certain diseases and troubles like diabetes were not considered for testing, which questions the universality of the results. 8. Do the conclusions reflect the studys findings? The conclusion ties up the results of the study together and gives a comprehensive end result. The study’s findings were completely reflected in the concluding points.9. Are the recommendations made for future research? Recommendations were made for performing the study with large numbers of infants and with large samples which could generalize the results of the study. 10. Is the significance of the study to nursing made explicit?

If so, what is it? If it is not, what do you feel the significance is, based on the study?The significance of the study is made explicit. There is a clear mention about the usefulness of the study for the nurses to gain knowledge about the pain suffered by full term neonates and thereby allowing themselves a chance to correct their clinical practices. Works CitedMorrow, Carla, et. al. “Reducing Neonatal Pain during Routine Heel Lance Procedures” MCN, The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing. 35.6 (2010): pp. 346-354. Web. 03 Mar. 2011.

http://www.nursingcenter.com/prodev/ce_article.asp?tid=1079388