Regaining Strength for Post-stroke Patients - Assignment Example

Regaining Strength for Post-Stroke Patients College: Regaining Strength for Post-Stroke Patients Kim is among researchers who have focused on the problem of providing care for the post stroke patients. Identifying the problem with the formal methods of treating patients, he sets on a research to identify the efficiency of using games and interesting events for these patients. He measures the indicators of physical wellness such as sleep, fatigue and depression within the experimental and control groups. The credible research provides the results that these procedures are much more efficient than the formal procedures that have proved inefficient within the nursing field. This essay critics the procedures and the methods of the research to identify if the research is credible and any weaknesses that could affect its conclusions. Problem Statement The problem statement of the research centered on the shortage of nursing based intervention measures to help the Post-Stroke patients to regain strength as soon as they recover. The research addresses a very important aspect of nursing that is gaining relevance today. In the recent past, there has been an increase in the number cases of stroke, demanding more serious intervention measures. Therefore the research by Kim (2012) was crucial and relevant for a growing problem in the nursing practice. Purpose of the Study The purpose of the study was to investigate the impact of the enjoyable games as intervention measures for post-stroke patients. The purpose of this study is of great significance to the nursing profession. For long it has been the wish of the nursing professionals to provide efficient intervention measures to replace the medical based treatment procedures that have proved inefficient (Byun, 2012). Therefore, the research is meant to improve the provision of treatment and care for post-stroke patients. Since this has been a major problem in the past, such a research by Kim (2009) is a major contribution to the nursing care. Research Questions The researcher did not formulate any research questions for the purpose of this research. However, the research seems to be based on the question of whether there enjoyable intervention measures can be used to improve the physical fitness of the post stroke patients. From the purpose of the research, it is clear that the research is meant to investigate whether nursing based intervention measures are efficient in improving the strength of these patients (Byun, 2012). Although, the researcher does not state the research questions, he remains clear on the direction of the research, which makes it possible for one to identify the issues he intends to address with his research. Study Variables The study variables refer to the quantities or qualities that the research intends to investigate in the course of his study. For this research, Kim (2012) focuses on the indicators of physical wellness such as fatigue, depression and sleep. These are the dependent variables as they vary with the nature of the intervention measure. The ability of the researcher to select the most common indicators of wellness among the study population is an important element. More researchers have used these parameters to measure the effectiveness of other intervention methods. However, the complexity of measuring these variables is an issue of concern. Although they relate directly with the wellness of the patients, it is clear that these issues may be affected by other conditions. Conceptual or Theoretical Framework In his theoretical framework, Kim (2012) focuses on the theory that links post stroke symptoms with variables such as stress, depression and fatigue. For instance, he refers to the theory that shows that victims of hemiparesis that results to problems such as sleeplessness, depression and persistent fatigue. By forming a theoretical framework, the research is able to create a connection between the problem and the way the research can measure the efficiency of the methods that he seeks to employ. Review of Related Literature In his literature review, Kim (2012) focuses on the broad research that has been conducted concerning the use of intervention measures of the post-stroke patients. He focuses on both nurse-based and medical bases intervention measures that have been used previously to address the challenges of post-stroke patients. He uses this part of his research to inform the readers of the problem that still persists in identifying the most effective procedure. To identify the literature gap, he shows how formal treatment procedures have failed in improving the physical strength of the patients. Next, he identifies the shortage of informal nursing based intervention measures in treating these problems. The ability of the researcher to identify the literature gap makes his research a unique solution to the persistent problem. Therefore, it is clear that the literature review supports the need for this study. Study Design The study design is experimental depending on the practical application of the treatment procedure. The sample was subjected to a 2 months experimental process, in which they were supposed to play interesting games and the results of this identified. The ability of the researcher to use a practical design is a major strength for this research. An experimental approach provides un-subjective results, which are dependable. It makes the results of the research possible to apply in any other nursing environment. This eliminates the subjectivity that researches by other scholars have suffered in investigating problems related to post stroke patients. Sample and Setting For this research, Kim (2012) selected a population of twenty volunteer patients as the experimental group and twenty five as the control group. The control group received formal treatment procedures while the experimental group was subjected to the informal intervention based game exercise. The sample population size is an important aspect of a research as the sample size tells the extent to which the research can be generalized for other populations. From a critical point of view, the sample size for this population is sizeable. It big enough to draw conclusions from, while is small enough to have adequate control over. This makes the research of Kim (2012) generalizable and applicable for any nursing unit. The setting of the research is an important issue. Since this research was applied within the same nursing unit, it was a big challenge to separate the control group and the experimental group. Presumably, the inability to separate the two groups could affect the results of the research. Therefore, it would have been crucial to separate the two groups to ensure that the setting as natural as possible (Hillsdon, Kersten, & Kirk, 2013). This is a weakness that would have interfered with findings of this research. Extraneous Variables Extraneous variable are undesirable factors that influence the results of an experiment. The ability of a researcher to identify the extraneous variables helps to account for the possible interferences that they may have in the final findings. The inability of Kim (2012) to identify and account for extraneous variables introduces a weakness in his research. While the research was measuring stress in patients, it is possible that extraneous variable can influence stress within the patient population. For instance, there are patients that are more vulnerable to stress as compared to other due to their personalities (Hillsdon, Kersten & Kirk, 2013). Therefore, inability to account for personalities while measuring the impact of intervention measures may have introduced errors in the research (Byun, 2012). On this ground, it would have been recommendable for the researcher to identify extraneous variables and account for them adequately. Study Instruments or Tools The research used the interview method to measure the parameters of the study and to show the changes taking place within the patients. For instance, the sleep quality index is a method that is used to measure sleep by interviewing the sample population to identify their sleeping patterns and difficulties. The use of closed ended questionnaires as required in the determination of the sleep quality index is an important aspect of the research. It makes it possible to quantize the sleep and hence identify changes within the patients during the intervention process (Byun, 2012). On this note, the researcher uses the tools and equipment effectively to obtain information that is crucial for the research. Data Collection Methods In this research, Kim (2012) collects the demographical information of the patients and the health information. An interview process is used to collect the demographical information such as the age, marital status, job, religions and many others. This information is sensitive and personal for many people. The ability of the researcher to use this information privately only for the purpose of the research without disclosing it is an important aspect of the research. It is recommendable that researcher assures the patients of confidentiality especially while handling sensitive information. Although, interview processes are usually subjective, using closed ended questions ensures that the information does not suffer from subjectivity. The health indicator information such as the sleep quality index and the functional parameters were measured by the nurse regularly from the entire population, without separating the control and the experimental group. This data collection procedure ensured that there was no data manipulation, which makes the research credible. Data Analysis Procedures A quantitative approach was used for the process of data collection. The choice of the SPPS software was wise due to the high efficiency and usability of this software for quantitative analysis. The researcher quantized the collected data before its analysis. The ability to quantize the data made the analysis more efficient and the results more acceptable. In the analysis, Kim (2012) computed the mean, standard deviation and the t-test score to identify the progressive change of the patients’ variables within the course of the two months. Notably, the data analysis focuses on variables such as depression, fatigue and sleep, which are important in answering the research question. Therefore, this is strong data analysis that can be expected to provide relevant answers for the research question. Strengths and Limitations The strength of this research lies in its ability to provide a viable solution for the problem of inducing physical strength for post-stroke patients. The scientific merit of the research is that it provides a new approach to enhancement of the formal treatment of the post stroke patients (Byun, 2012). The limitation of this research lies in its inability to isolate the control and the experimental group, hence introducing subjectivity into the treatment procedure. Implications The implication of this research is that the nursing care can be improved using nursing-based intervention measures. The results of the research show that there was considerable improvement of the physical strength of the patients through this treatment procedure. The health professionals should educate the nurses on the best ways to support post-stroke patients within their institutions. However, further study should be conducted to support this research by investigating whether other external factors such as personalities can affect the treatment procedures. In conclusion, Kim’s research is an important contribution to the provision of nursing care to the post-stroke patients. It provides a nursing-based treatment procedure that can replace the formal treatment that suffers from inefficiency. The research effectively utilizes research tools and equipment to measure the changes within the sizeable sample population and to compare it with that of the control group. The ability of the researcher to conduct a thorough research and to effectively fill the literature gap that exists within the research of post stroke patients makes his work a crucial in the nursing field. References Byun, E. (2012). Commentary on Effects of an Enjoyable Nurse-Led Intervention to Promote Movement in Post-Stroke Inpatients. Clinical Nursing Research, 21(4), 406. doi:10.1177/1054773812449583 Hillsdon, K., Kersten, P., & Kirk, H. (2013). A qualitative study exploring patients’ experiences of standard care or cardiac rehabilitation post minor stroke and transient ischaemic attack. Clinical Rehabilitation, 27(9), 845-853. doi:10.1177/0269215513478956 Kim, I. (2012). Effects of an Enjoyable Nurse-Led Intervention to Promote Movement in Poststroke Inpatients. Clinical Nursing Research, 21(4), 390-405. doi:10.1177/1054773812439204 Read More