Daily Electrode Change and Effect on Cardiac Monitor Alarms - Essay Example

? Research Critique Part Research critique The research being criticized is “Daily Electrode Change and Effect on Cardiac Monitor Alarms An Evidence-Based Practice Approach” by Maria.M.Cvach and others. Research Problem The research problem in this article is quality improvement rapid cycle change approach to explore the benefits of changing electrodes on cardiac monitor alarms. Alarm hazard is a problem in concern in this research article. The technical default in cardiac monitor alarms is been studied in this article. The article investigates whether changing electrodes daily decrease the quantity of cardiac monitor technical alarms. The aim of the study is to establish the connection of changing electrodes on the functioning of cardiac monitors. The study intends to check the effect of daily electrode change on the number of technical monitor alarms. The study has an aim of identifying and implementing best practice for electrode change and to observe their daily change on technical monitor alarms. Review of literature The article has an organized literature as the topic does reflect the subject matter of the journal. The journal has a brief abstract which specifies about the nature of the study of the journal. The introduction part is concise and defined the nature of the subject and the aim of the study conducted. The body of the literature is informative and has headings and sub heading in a correct order. Even the conclusion is informative and compact. The rationale of the study looks much worthy as it is all about understand the technical functioning of cardiac monitors. This study has high significance in medical field and has an intention on improving the quality of service provided by hospitals to its patients. The direction of the study was practical and safe to the participants of the study. Conceptual framework and Map The conceptual frame work of the article is evident based practice approach regarding electrode change in cardiac monitor alarms. The concept of the study is centered on the effect of electrode change on the functionality of cardiac monitor alarms. The theoretical study and the research question are identical with the conceptual framework. Here the theory is concentrating on the relationship between electrode change and decrease in cardiac monitor alarms efficiency. The research question is about electrode change and cardiac alarm efficiency and the theory directly links with it. There no maps or models logically presented except for some tables with calculations. Research Question /Hypothesis The research question is addressed correctly and appropriately in the journal. The research question is rightly indicating the purpose of the study and what the study specifically wants to achieve the research question gives the readers all the information regarding the nature of the journal. There is no confusion or misleading in the research question and it highly simple and clear. The question is precise and does not involve unwanted message or implications. The research question is an important part of any research article and should be short and precise which is seen in this journal. In case of the logical relation to the aim of the theory, it could be said that it is rightly connected. The research purpose is to understand the role of electrode change on the efficiency of cardiac monitor alarms and this clearly reflects in the research question. Variables The concepts identified within the theory are alarm functioning, cardiac monitors, ECG process, electrodes, quality improvement and noise. The variables identified in the study are dependent and independent variables. Here the independent variable is the electrode and cardiac monitor while the dependent variable is alarm noise. The variables are not extensively defined in the article as sometimes things are vague. Research Design The research design is not apt and should have been a more close examination of the functionality of electrodes on cardiac monitor alarms. The research is not very descriptive and is explaining about a short experiment conducted in a hospital. Also the there are no maps or graphs to the research which seems bit odd. Moreover, the study was conducted with the help of medical experts and the researchers were not directly doing the task which can result in discrepancies and the outcomes can be unreliable. And no treatments were closely monitored or analyzed to guarantee consistency. Sampling method The samples were collected from the hospital and the electrodes were changed by the technical experts on the recommendation of the researchers. The sampling method is by secondary means as the technical report is collected by the staff nurses who are unlicensed. The study was conducted for a period of 8 days. In this study, human beings are involved as the study is conducted through patients. However, the study has taken care of human safety while conducting the test. Measurements Instrument validity and reliability is skeptical as the quality of the instrument used for the study has not been mentioned in the study. This can be pointed out as a weakness of this research article. It is difficult to understand what grade of instruments is used and whether the report from these is reliable. Different electrodes are used in the study but their specification is not given. There is some information about the monitors used in the study. The study has described the scoring techniques in the study clearly. There are three different tables which extensively details about different electrodes use and their respective score on the alarms. Data collection The observation was not directly done while the study was performed but the report of the study was collected from the cardiology unit of the hospital. The data was collected from the hospital authority directly by the researchers. The electronically recorded report outcome has been clearly mentioned by the article. The study clearly describes about the whole data collection process. It is also consistent in nature and has ethics to it. Data Analysis The procedures employed by the researchers are suitable for the type of data collected. In this matter the researchers have done justice. The experiment needs a study of longer period and collecting the data from the hospital authority is the best option. The outcomes of the study although well detailed is too technical in nature .It can confuse a reader who has less scientific knowledge, hence could have been simpler and lighter in nature. Appraisal of Research Nursing research supports my change in project to focus on alarm management. A student has found that alarm management is very important, since beginning in January 2014 hospitals must demonstrate that they have established alarm safety as a priority as required by the joint commission. The article also supports that student’s change project. The student would like to focus on bedside intervention which could be fulfilled effectively and efficiently, because daily electrode change by nurses at the beginning of the shift is a simple, and not complex, intervention. The proposed project benefits from nursing research because it is an evidence-based practice approach. In addition, the research had been conducted, and the result showed that the intervention resulted in a significant impact; there was a reduction in false alarms on the units by 46%. It had a large impact in creating a healing environment by reducing noise and interruptions. Negative impact on the project could be related to cost since the hospital will have to supply more electrodes than usual because of the daily electrode change; there will be increased spending on the supply of electrodes. However, compared to the benefits that the hospital experiences with a faster recover process for patients due to the reduction in noise, the cost will be small. In addition, the hospital can save on patient costs related to patients who must over-stay past the limit of government support. In conclusion, the study of daily electrode change from the article was reliable and valid as it has been proven to be effective in reducing false alarms and in helping to create a healing environment for patients in the unit. The strengths of the article was the evidence-based approach which can help provide nurses with a method to deliver high quality care for patients and improve patient safety. The article is supportive for change project that the student would like to propose as part of bedside intervention that can be performed effectively and efficiently. The research showed that there was reduction of false alarms after the intervention was performed by 46%, which can have a large impact in creating a healing environment for patients. Based on the article, the negative impact on the project will be increased spending on electrodes. This could be a problem as every sector of United States economy is still struggling to recover, and this includes hospitals; hospitals will try to cut the budget as much as possible. In addition, the impact from the Affordable Care Act means hospitals will avoid paying penalties if patients stay longer than the given range that government will pay for. However, seen from another perspective, the cost that hospital has to pay for the supply of electrodes is smaller than the penalty that would have to be paid for the patients that stay longer in hospital. As the reduction in noise can actually help quicken the recovery process for the patient, patient can stay shorter in the hospital; actually it is the goal of the hospital to make patients stay as short as possible. Conclusion The journal has been presented professionally and has all the components of a research journal in the right proportion. It is a journal based on medical science and has been efficient in describing its purpose. The main aim of the research journal was to conduct an evidence based approach study to demonstrate the electrode change and variation in the functionality of cardiac monitor alarm. The researchers have taken the best approach to study the subject. It is written in a scientific manner and qualifies best as a scientific journal .The purpose of the study has been met and the manner in which it was conducted was practical and reliable. The medical institution chosen was apt and the right professionals were given the duty of conducting the test. Every journal whether it is medical, scientific or academic will demonstrate few flaws and this journal also exhibit a few. However, its strengths surpass its weaknesses and the journal turns out to be a useful piece of informative material to readers. The research journal has an aim of improving the medical service quality of Cardiologic field and seems to be a logical study. The study was conducted for an ample period and the results recorded seem to be reliable and trustworthy. The outcomes of the result seem sense worthy and logical. The research study was patient friendly and ensured safety and security of the people involved in the study. In short, the research study is appreciable and served the purpose of research. Read More