Thinking Ahead of the Surgeon - Research Paper Example

Number Subject Name Lecturer’s Name To critique а qualitative research Due date Date Submitted To critique а qualitative research Introduction The present paper provides a comprehensive critique of an article titled “Thinking ahead of the surgeon. An interview studies to identify scrub nurses’ non-technical skills”. The critique will be done by the use of the Using Ingham-Broomfield 2008 as a framework, which is used as a guide to the critical reading research. Critiquing research is to appraise critically the strengths and weaknesses of the research study and it is important to for nurses worldwide to continually make a decision about giving care based on clinical evidence, which will represent the best knowledge internationally (Hamer and Collinson, 1999). Evidence-based practice (EBP) mean doing the right thing in a right way beside insuring what have been done is effective and suitable to the clinical situation. EPB will enhance the improvement of practitioner experience of health care and illness (Edited By Jean V. Craig, 2011). Nurses who are the largest group of health care provider, therefore, are at the forefront of recognising and identify the health needs as well. They are also responsible and mandated to as apply and evaluate the best evidence of clinical practice (Edited By Jean V. Craig, 2011). At the beginning of applying of EPB, it was restricted to the medicine rather than all health care aspect. Subsequently, it has been applied as well in other professional practice such as Pharmacy and orthodontics. The highest quality of care strategies was provided by nursing and EBP completely embraced. This paper was published in International Journal of Nursing Studies that accept the studies aim to improve the understanding of the complex health care intervention . Article Critiquing Title The title of the article is quite long, which gives the overall idea of what the article is all about. The title, which is stated as “Thinking ahead of the surgeon. An interview study to identify scrub nurses’ non-technical skills” gives the idea that the article is going to address the additional non-technical skills, which are required for the effective and safe performance of nurses. It also suggests that it is going to address information ahead of surgeons, by concentrating on the scrub nurses (Edited By Jean V. Craig, 2011). The Authors The article was composed by six authors who were Lucy Mitchell, Rhona Flin, Steven Yule, Janet Mitchell, Kathy Coutts, and George Youngson. The combination of effort from these people demonstrated that they were able to give a comprehensive analysis of the information presented (DiCenso et al. 1998, Stevens et al. 2009). . Date About date, the paper is quite current. It was published in the year 2011. The paper was however written in the year 2010. It, therefore, implies that it spent less than a year before it was published. The currency of the article publication is a clear indication that the information contained, and the results of the research conducted is quite relevant and applicable to the current nursing studies (Elsevier, 2015). . Abstract As illustrate by Sexton, Thomas, Helmreich (2000), the abstract or summary of an article should provide a clear outline of the problem addressed, the purpose of the article, the hypothesis or the research questions, aims as well as the objectives of the study. It should also indicate the methods that were applied for the study, results, conclusion as well as recommendations. From an analysis of the abstract of the article, it provides the background of the study, the objectives, methods, results and conclusion of the study. The background illustrates the overall factors addressed in the study, which is the importance of identification of the essential non-technical skills, for the purpose of effective performance (Sternberg, Horvath, 1999). The objective is identified as the identification of the critical non-technical skills, which are which are relevant for the effective and relevant performance of the theatre scrub nurses. The method section of the abstract indicated the number of the respondent consulted. However, the article failed to explicitly indicate whether it adopted a qualitative research technique, quantitative research technique, or a combination of these techniques. However, it illustrated the step followed in carrying out the research (Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council (ANMC), 2007). The abstract explicitly identified the results of the study. It indicated that awareness, communication, teamwork coping with stress as well as the task management was some of the most important factors, for ensuring successful performance of the scrub nurses tasks. The abstract also gave a comprehensive conclusion of a study in one sentence (Staines, 2009). It concluded that these factors were very essential for successful functioning of the scrub nurses. However, it is significant to note that the abstract did not provide recommendations for the paper. Topic introduction The article started by creating an understanding of the topic. It started by indicating what is already known about the topic. In this case, it indicates two main factors. These include the fact that the previous researches were conducted on the surgeons and anaesthetics where a set of non-technical skills for safe and efficient performance were identified. The non-technical skills, in this case, implied the cognitive and social skills (Taylor, Campbell, 2000). The article also indicated that there is evidence that scrub nurses require similar skills as surgeons and anaesthetics. However, they clarified but this has not been formally clarified. The article also indicates what will be added to the prevailing research by the article’s research. It indicates that the article the research on the surgeons and the scrub nurses, which identified that awareness, communication, teamwork coping with stress as well as the task management is some of the most important factors, for ensuring successful performance of the scrub nurses tasks (Strauss, Corbin, 1990). The article also indicated that it adds the fact that key non-technical skills identification are the first steps that are required for the behavioural and developmental rating system, for the structured training and assessment of the non-technical skills of scrub nurses. Identification of the problem The paper did not provide a comprehensive identification of the research problem. Though the focus f the study was clearly generated and developed, there was not the clear identification of the specific problem to be addressed. This is one of the significant areas that the article failed to address. The literature/Introduction The article presented the introduction of the paper in a comprehensive manner. However, it did not present the literature review part. From a clear analysis of the article, it is evident that the authors combined the introduction and the literature review section. However, as illustrated by Klein (2008), it is quite significant to differentiate between the two sections, so as to give effective structure and flow to an article. With a critical analysis of the literature presented, the authors were able to comprehensively research on the previous study carried out regarding the same topic. In their presentation, there indicated every reference they consulted during their study (Undre, Sevdalis, Healey, Darzi, Vincent, 2006). The many references quoted in the study is a clear indication of the abundance of the secondary sources consulted with the study. For instance, the literature review presented by the article indicated that the non-technical skills include the cognitive, social as well as the personal resources skills, which provide a perfect complement to the technical skills. Together, these skills can provide efficient and safe task performance (Hamer and Collinson, 2001). Additionally, the literature presented by the authors in the article indicated that there are limited empirical research, which has been conducted regarding the scrub nurses’ non-technical skills. They indicated that there only existed 13 research studies, which addressed the scrub nurses’ intraoperative non-technical skills. However, the article indicated that despite the lack of empirical studies which specifically examines the scrub nurses’ empirical studies, it developed an effective theatre teamwork assessment tools, which include theatre nursing sub-teams (Sevdalis, Healey, Vincent, 2007). As a result, authors identified the research group to be comprised of the psychologists, consultant surgeons as well as the theatre nurses, for the purpose of identification of the non-technical skills, which are necessary for the safe and effective performance of the scrub nurses. Therefore, it is significant to note that the literature review presented in the study was able to effectively presented what is already known in the field of study. In this case, it stated that there were only 13 studies that had been published, regarding the scrub nurses (Elsevier, 2015). . Further, the literature review presented managed to identify the gap existing in the study concerning the topic. In this case, the authors stated that it was significant to study the non-technical skills, which were significant for the safe and effective performance of the scrub nurses (Burns and Grove, 2001). A critical evaluation of the literature review, which was presented in the form of introduction also revealed that the authors were able to effectively situate its study, along the current body of knowledge. However, one of the significant limitations of the literature review presented by the author is that the content was very little. Therefore, there was a high possibility that the information gained from other studies were not comprehensively presented by the authors. Rather, it could be argued that the authors of the article excessively summarised the literature review (Mishra, Catchpole, McCulloch, 2009). Overall, in exception to the above limitation, it is significant to note that the literature review of the study was quite comprehensive. The authors managed to present what is already known regarding the topic of study, and the gap left in the study that have been carried out. Additionally, literature reviews clearly is the significance of the study, as well as establish the study within the prevailing body of knowledge (Koh Yung Ing, Yang, Yin, Teng Ong, Donchin, Park, 2009). . Methodology It is one of the comprehensively presented sections of this article. It contained various sections, which included the design method, interview design, the procedure adopted, the participants, and the data analysis (Stanton, Salmon, Walker, Baber, Jenkins, 2005). About the study design, several techniques were applied. These include the task analysis, which involved the study of the human behaviour interaction with his or her colleagues, as well as with their work environments. These were used for the identification of the social, cognitive and the psychomotor processes, which are undergone by workers in the achievement of their tasks (Prentice Hall Health: Sydney, Australia. National Health and Medical Research Council, 2007). The interviewers also applied the semi-structured interviews, which allowed them to ask predetermined questions while at the same time remaining flexible. This allowed the respondents to elaborate on the topic, which arise, in case there was no direct question, which was asked. In the interview design section, the interviewer article indicated that the respondent experts were interviewed, to give their perception concerning the non-technical skills, which are required for safe and effective performance (Burns and Grove, 2001). The article indicated that surgeons were interviewed to present their perceptions regarding the scrub nurses behaviour, which makes their work easier or more challenging. Concerning the procedures, the article indicated that the participants were recruited through posters while the time arrangement were made through email and telephones. The interview was conducted at the interviewers’ place of work (Lingard, Espin, Whyte, Regehr, Baker, Reznick et al. 2004). Then, digital recording was done for the interview. The interviews were conducted by the psychologists, who also observed the behaviour of the scrub nurses, during the procedure. The participants, as indicated by the article included 25 scrub nurses, who had a mean of 15 working years. There was also the nine consultants surgeons who were from four specialties. The data analysis section of methodology indicated that the interview scripts were coded into meaningful phrases. Open coding method was used to perform the process, which allowed the data to be categorized into further units, which enabled further analysis. The coding process was carried out quite comprehensively (Mitchell, Flin, 2008). The article presents a comprehensive coding strategy breakdown, for the interview data from nurses and surgeons (Riley, Manias, 2006). In the coding process, the non-technical skills categories that were identified include cognitive, social, task management, stress and fatigue. The psychological team into further non-technical skills further analyzed these non-technical skills. These analyses made it quite easy to understand the responses given by the respondents. Another factor that was presented in the article under the research methodology is the ethical considerations. As stated in the article, there was the relevant Ethical approval for conducting the study. As a matter of observation of ethical issue, every participant was required to read and sign a participant consent sheet. The sheet indicated that the participation was voluntary, and they were free to withdraw from the study at any time (Elsevier, 2015). . As stated by Denzin and Lincoln (2000), the research design selected for an interview should allow a significant measurement and manipulation during the study. This is usually done by definition and clarification of variables, which are under investigation, to have a clear specification of how the variables would be measured. Concerning the study carried out by the authors of the article, it is evident that these requirements were effectively met. Another factor that need consideration is the justification of the instruments being used (Cormack, 2009). It is significant for the researcher to identify and state the advantages and disadvantages of applying certain tools, as compared to other techniques. Concerning this, it is evident that the article failed in the presentation of this aspect. Another factor important for consideration is the sample size. The sample size should be a perfect representation of the total population under study. It is quite significant that the procedure adopted in the selection of the sample size should be open and unbiased. From the analysis of the sample size used in the study of the article, it is evident that the selection of the sample size was unbiased, and was a perfect representation of the study population (Patton, 1990). However, the methodology of the study did not present the pilot study. As illustrated by Cormack (2009), a pilot study implies the trial run of research. The main purpose of having the pilot study is obtaining information, for the improvement of the project, or the assessment of the feasibility. A pilot study is perfect in helping the avoidance of costly mistakes. Further, the pilot study presents the validity and reliability of the instruments. The failure of the current study to provide a pilot study indicates that it did not observe all the requirements of the research methodology of a nursing article. Ethics Ethics consideration is very significant in any particular research study. The researchers are obliged to consider implications that may result from the proposed research on the participating subjects and the society at large (Burns and Grove, 1993). In this case, the nursing research required the approval and permission of the required committee. There are also ethical guidelines that outline the standards that are required to be observed when conducting the research. The reason for observation of the ethical standards is that the health information is very critical, and requires to be handled with high confidentiality (Lingard, et al., 2004). Additionally, nurses have moral and legal obligations to protect the privacy of the health information of individuals (Mishra, Catchpole, McCulloch, 2009). The article effectively observed these ethical requirements. These were observed by getting the approval of the relevant authorities. The respondents were also required to sign an agreement sheet, which indicated that contribution and participation to the interview were free and that they were free to depart whenever they deemed necessary. Results The results of the study were presented by the coding strategy breakdown of nurses and surgeon interview data. The results were presented in the form of broad non-technical skills category. These were then broken down into generic non-technical skills, which were labelled under data themes and data examples (Minichiello, Sullivan, Greenwood and Axford, 2004). The article then described the findings of the data in more details. These details included: Situation awareness: which, according to the article, implies ‘knowing what is going on around you’? There were four categories of situation awareness, which were identified. These include listening, watching, anticipating and understanding (Patton, 1990). Decision making: this was identified by the article as ‘identifying, considering, selecting, selecting and communicating options (Vincent, Neale, Woloshynowych, 2001). Communication: the article defined communication as the exchange of information. This could be verbal or non-verbal between the scrub nurses. Teamwork: These were considered to include the coordination activities, supporting others and establishing shared understanding. Other factors, which were discussed, include leadership, preparation or maintenance of the standards, and stress and fatigue. From the analysis of presentation of the results, it is evident that the results were presented very comprehensively. However, since the study adopted a qualitative analysis, the results were not presented numerically. They were discussed in several sub headings as illustrated above. Discussion and Recommendations The discussion of the findings allows making of interpretation by the researcher (Burns and Grove, 2001). It involves an explanation of the findings, which have been discussed in the results section. The discussion section presented in the article was quite comprehensive. The discussion of the article discussed the finding that were presented in the results sections. In this case, the non-technical skills identified with the scrub nurses were discussed in details. Limitations The study included an additional section of limitations. The section illustrated the difficulties, which were encountered when carrying out the study. For instance, it indicated that it was quite difficult to keep the focus of scrub nurses in the intraoperative phases during the overall study (Neale, Woloshynowych, Vincent, 2001). Conclusions This section, as indicated by Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council (ANMC) (2007), illustrates whether the researcher was able to meet all the required objectives of the study. It also involves an evaluation of the overall merit of the study. In this case, the article identified the non-technical skills, which are considered essential for the effective and safe performance of the scrub nurses (Yule, Flin, Paterson-Brown, Maran, Rowley, 2006). These include situation, awareness, communication, teamwork, as well as coping with stress. Acknowledgements The author added a section of acknowledgement. In the section, they expressed their regards to various institutions and individuals, such as the NHS Education for Scotland. References The article was summarised by presentation of a list of all the sources that were consulted during the study. The comprehensive list presented showed the level of extensive research that was conducted. References Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council (ANMC). 2007. Code of Professional Conduct for Nurses in Australia. Available from: http://www.anmc.org.au (accessed May 2008). Burns, N. and Grove, S. 2001. The practice of nursing research: conduct, critique and utilization (4th ed). 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