SIM422 Activity 1: Critical Evaluation of Qualitative or Quantitative Research Study Example

Solution

The Credibility of the Research Article

The article “Patients’ and partners’ health-related quality of life before and four months after coronary artery bypass grafting surgery” by Thomson et al. (2013), published in BMC Nursing in 2013, presents a study that explores patients’ and partners’ health-related quality of life (HRQoL) before and after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. The article is credible, providing a clear and concise title, introduction, methodology, results, and conclusion. The title is clear and accurate, reflecting the topic and the methods used in the study. The article’s abstract summarizes the study, including the research problem, sample size, methodology, results, findings and recommendations. The study’s findings are supported by statistical analysis, and the discussion presents a thorough interpretation of the results, highlighting the importance of considering partners’ involvement in patients’ pre-operative assessment and the impact of patients’ pre-operative mental health on postoperative outcomes.

Problem Statement and Research Design

The study aims to investigate patients’ and partners’ health-related quality of life (HRQoL) before and after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. The problem statement is clear and related to the research questions. The researchers used a prospective research design and recruited 84 patient-partner dyads. The study’s philosophical underpinnings are not explicitly stated, but combining quantitative and qualitative data collection methods suggests a pragmatic research approach (Ranganathan & Aggarwal, 2019). The justification of the study for using this approach is that it allows the researchers to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the factors that contribute to patients’ and partners’ HRQoL before and after CABG surgery.

Ethical Issues in the Study

The study addressed ethical concerns in a variety of ways. Human participants were protected by obtaining written and verbal consent from each of them and providing information about the study and its objective. The research also addressed IRB approval, which the University of Stirling and the local NHS Research and Ethics Committees granted. The nature of the research was disclosed to participants, and mechanisms were implemented to guarantee that they made autonomous decisions. Researchers addressed participants’ autonomy and confidentiality by emphasizing that participation was optional and that data collection would continue with the other person if one member wished to withdraw (Drolet et al., 2022). The ethical issues for the study also included consent to contact patients and couples and the choice to stop data collection if one partner died unless the other partner requested differently.

The Purpose Statement

The study aims to investigate patients’ and their partners’ health-related quality of life (HRQoL) before and after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. The study also examines whether socio-demographic characteristics and pre-operative HRQoL of patients and their partners can predict HRQoL four months following surgery. The importance of this study to nursing is that it gives a better knowledge of the changes in HRQoL of both patients and their partners following CABG surgery, which can help develop interventions and support systems to promote their postoperative recovery and overall well-being.

Literature Review

The literature review provides a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge on the factors that influence patients’ health-related quality of life (HRQoL) after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery, as well as the potential impact of the patient’s partner or spouse on the recovery process. The review also covers randomized controlled trials and non-randomized studies, highlighting the main factors affecting patients’ HRQoL after CABG, such as pre-operative physical health, the severity of angina, and employment status. It also explores the potential role of depression in indicating and influencing the outcome of CABG. Additionally, the review highlights the lack of knowledge about the HRQoL of partners before and after CABG surgery and the potential negative impact that being a caregiver can have on their mental and physical health. The literature review provides a strong foundation for the focus of the study on assessing the HRQoL of both patients and partners before and after CABG surgery, theref