What is the purpose of this research?
The goal of this research is to discuss patient and physician perspectives on the worth of a new technology that can be used to detect cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (CAN) among the patients of a specialist diabetes clinic (Pals et al., 2015).
What is the research question (or questions)? This may be implicit or explicit
Can the importance of investigating new technologies and patients’ or physicians’ understanding of these technologies be proved regarding the example of CAN and the experiences of a specific clinic? It is an implicit research question that may be developed.
Give a complete description of the research design of this study
It was a qualitative study that was based on three different methods: observations of medical consultations during which the results of CAN tests were discussed and explained to patients, interviews with patients, who had to take the CAN test, and interviews with physicians, who worked with the patients and reported the results of the CAN test.
What is the population (sample) for this study?
There were eight observations and 19 patients (out of 55) and 9 physicians (out of 31) chosen for two types of interviews. The main criterion for the patients was to have type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes.
Was the sampling approach adequate for the research design that was selected and explain why?
The sampling approach was adequate for the chosen research design. Interviews and observations are the main methods of gathering qualitative data. Interviews with patients and physicians helped to gather the material on the perceptions of both groups of people, and the observations were used to create a general opinion about the CAN test and its worth in patients’ treatment.
Describe the data collection procedure
The Electronic Patient Record and the help of a coordinator were used to identify patients who took the CAN test between November 2013 and January 2014 (Pals et al., 2015). The observations occurred between January 2 and January 14 in 2014 after the contact with respective physicians, who gave their permission to watch. A nurse was asked to provide the researchers with the results of the CAN test
How were the data analyzed?
Research data were analyzed regarding the concept of technological frames within the frames of which physicians’ and patients’ understandings and interpretations of the new technology were discovered.
Discuss the limitations found in the study?
Sampling was the limitation of the study. Many patients did not recall the test (Pals et al., 2015). Besides, three central concepts were intertwined, and it was difficult to identify the technological frames, as well as to compare the chosen technology with other well-known approaches.
Discuss the authors’ conclusions. Do you feel these conclusions are based on the data that they collected?
The conclusions proved the effectiveness of the researchers’ work. Patients’ and physicians’ perceptions of and understandings of new technology should matter because they help to identify the challenges and develop the solutions.
How does this advance knowledge in the field
This research shows how to investigate the opinions and perceptions of different people and understand the development of technological aspects in the healthcare field.
References
Pals, R. S., Hansen, U. M., Johansen, C. B., Hansen, C. S., Jørgensen, M. E., Fleischer, J., & Willaing, I. (2015). Making sense of a new technology in clinical practice: A qualitative study of patient and physician perspectives. BMC Health Services Research, 15(1), 1-10. Web.