Week 6: Reading Research Literature Worksheet
Complete the following required worksheet using the required article for the current session. Access the
... [Show More] required article from the assignment guidelines.
Purpose of the Study: Using information from the required article and your own words, summarize the purpose of the study. Describe what the study is about.
The main purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between gynecologic cancer and distress in patients in the clinical setting (O’Connor, Tanner, Miller, Watts & Musiello, 2017. The study took place over 6 months, and involved the use of research tools (Distress Thermometer and a Problem List), along with communication between the patient (subject), research officer, oncology nurse, and social worker, to determine the severity of emotional and physical distress that the patient was experiencing (O’Connor et al., 2017).
Research & Design: Using information from the required article and your own words, summarize the description of the type of research and the design of the study. Include how it supports the purpose (aim or intent) of the study.
The type of research and design that was implemented in the study was a case study design. Ridder (2017) explains that a case study is a study about a person, a group of people or a unit, where the researcher examines in-depth data that relates to several variables in the study. Ridder (2017) also states that case studies examine complex phenomena in the natural setting to increase the understanding of them. In this study, data from the Distress Thermometer (DT) and Problem List (PL) were examined on each subject in detail, which provided the health care professionals information that they needed in order to streamline patient care (O’Connor et al., 2017). The study explored the phenomenon of the relationship between cancer and distress, which is also an important aspect of a case study design.
Mixed methods that included quantitative and qualitative care were also used in the study (O’Connor et al., 2017). According to Tariq and Woodman (2013), mixed methods use both quantitative and qualitative methods in a single study. Tariq and Woodman (2013) also state that mixed methods give a voice to study participants and ensure that study findings are grounded in participants’ experiences. The quantitative method that was performed in the study involved data collection and analysis that was taken from the subject’s completion of the DT and the PL (O’Connor et al., 2017). The qualitative method included the consultations between the health care professionals and the subjects after the quantitative data was gathered and analyzed from the DT and the PL (O’Connor et al., 2017). It was shown that by using the DT and PL that patient’s “opened-up” about more issues and concerns about their cancer and asked questions that they might have been reluctant to ask (O’Connor et al., 2017).
One research tool that is used in the study is the Distress Thermometer (DT). A DT is “a self-reported distress scale that the patient’s use to determine their level of distress” (Cutillo, O’Hea, Person, Lessard, Harralson, & Boudreaux, 2017, p.329). O’Connor et al., (2017) state that the DT is scored from 0 (no distress) to 10 (high distress). The subjects score their level of distress that they are feeling, and the health care workers collect and analyze the data (O’Connor et al., 2017). Another tool that is used in the study is a Problem List (PL) (Cutillo et al., 2017). The PL is a check-off list that lists practical, physical, mental and social problems that the patient is encountering (Cutillo et al., 2017). The PL accompanies the DT so that more qualitative data can be identified and the correct intervention/s can be implemented by the health care workers (O’Connor et al., 2017).
Sample: Using information from the required article and your own words, summarize the population (sample) for the study; include key characteristics, sample size, sampling technique.
In this study, the population of interest was women with gynecologic cancer in the clinical setting of West Australia public women’s and newborns’ tertiary teaching hospital, King Edward Memorial Hospital (O’Connor et al., 2017). The samples that were chosen from the population consisted of sixty-two women with gynecologic cancer (O’Connor et al., 2017). The characteristics of the samples that were chosen were all over 18 years or older, they had gynecologic cancer, and they were able to comprehend and fill the DT and PL forms out (O’Connor et al., 2017). The age range was from 25-94 years old, and the median age was 58 years old (O’Connor et al., 2017).
The sampling technique used in the study was random sampling. All of the women in the sample population that met the criteria of the study (18 or older, had gynecologic cancer, could fill the DT and PL forms out) were chosen and asked to participate in the study.
Data Collection: Using information from the required article and your own words, summarize one data that was collected and how the data was collected from the study.
One piece of data that was collected in this study was the data from the DT screening. A DT is “a self-reported distress scale that the patient’s use to determine their level of distress” (Cutillo et al., 2017, p.329). The DT is scored from 0 (no distress) to 10 (high distress), and a patient with a score of 4 or higher indicates the need for a follow up (O’Connor et al.,2017). Along with the DT screening, a PL was used in the study (Cutillo et al., 2017). The PL is a check-off list that lists practical, physical, mental and social problems that the patient is encountering (Cutillo et al., 2017). The PL accompanies the DT so that more in depth information can be identified, and the correct intervention(s) can be implemented by the health care workers (O’Connor et al., 2017). When the patient opted to participate in the study, they were given the DT screening sheet and PL sheet to determine their level of distress by a research officer (O’Connor et al., 2017). Once these were filled out by the subject the oncology nurse, social worker (if needed), and the subject consulted about the results of the DT and PL, and the proper referrals were made (if needed) (O’Connor et al., 2017).
Data Analysis: Using information from the required article and your own words, summarize one of the data analysis/ tests performed or one method of data analysis from the study; include what you know/learned about the descriptive or statistical test or data analysis method.
Descriptive statistics help to describe and understand the features of a data set by giving short summaries about the sample and measures the data (Mishra, Pandey, Singh, Gupta, Sahu & Keshri, 2019). Descriptive statistics was used in this study to tally and analyze the rating scores of the DT (O’Connor et al., 2017). I learned that out of the sixty-two subjects, forty-one of them rated a 4 or higher on their DT screening sheet and twenty-one rated a 3 or lower (O’Connor et al., 2017). Out of the forty-one subjects that rated a 4 or higher, twenty-one rated a 7 or higher (O’Connor et al., 2017). The analysis of the descriptive statistics tells me that sixty-six percent of the subjects need a referral due to their DT scores, and that thirty-three percent of those subjects have a high distress level and need to be monitored (O’Connor et al., 2017).
Limitations: Using information from the required article and your own words, summarize one limitation reported in the study.
One limitation that was reported in the study was that not every patient that attended the clinic was approached by the researchers to see if they met the criteria to participate in the study (O’Connor et al., 2017). Sometimes the patient’s visit was so quick that the researcher officer did not have the opportunity to ask them to participate (O’Connor et al., 2017). Another reason that not every patient was asked to participate in the study that visited the clinic was due to the occasional absence of a research officer (O’Connor et al., 2017). Without the research officer at the clinic, there was no chance of the study being initiated to the subjects (O’Connor et al., 2017).
Findings/Discussion: Using information from the required article and your own words, summarize one of the authors' findings/discussion reported in the study. Include one interesting detail you learned from reading the study.
One of the specific findings that the study reported was the problems identified on the PL. Out of the 62 subjects that participated in the study, the top category of the problems identified was emotional problems (O’Connor et al., 2017). The top emotional problems that were identified were nervousness, being worried, and fear; with nervousness being the top problem identified (O’Connor et al., 2017). Out of the 62 subjects, 39 identified nervousness as an identifiable problem (O’Connor et al., 2017). On the DT range (which goes “hand in hand” with the PL), 10 out of the 12 patients that had cervical cancer scored in the 7-10 range compared to the other gynecologic cancer patients (O’Connor et al., 2017).
One interesting detail that I learned from reading the study was that about 12% of the subjects with gynecologic cancer have had it for a year or more (O’Connor et al., 2017). I think that gynecologic cancer patients need the DT and PL screenings as soon as they are diagnosed with cancer throughout their term with the cancer. Distress can change in intensity, depending on the prognosis of the type of gynecologic cancer and/or how a person’s cancer reacts to treatment. Support and continual assessment of a patient’s distress level should be part of the holistic care plan for the patient
Reading Research Literature: Summarize why it is important for you to read and understand research literature. Summarize what you learned from completing the reading research literature activity worksheet.
It is very important when reading research literature to understand all of the components that are involved during the specific study. For instance, it took me several times (about 20) to read over the assigned article to get a clear understanding of the data results and meanings. In reading this research study, I learned the importance of screening with a DT and PL for distress in patients with any type of cancer. The results of the study showed that screenings and interventions help patients with their levels of distress by enabling them to think in a broader spectrum about issues that they may have not known to ask, or might have been too embarrassed to ask (O’Connor et al., 2017). The results also showed that the health care professionals benefited from the DT and PL (O’Connor et al., 2017). The screenings helped the health care professionals to determine what specific level of distress the patient was at so that they can implement the correct resources before a crisis occurred (O’Connor et al., 2017). It is through reading and understanding research literature that keeps nurses up-to-date on current studies. When the implementations of current evidence-based practices are used in nursing, optimal patient care can be achieved.
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