Introduction
Discussing ethical issues associated with the research can help to identify any gaps that need to be addressed to improve the results and conduct of the study. Dismissing ethical concerns during the planning stage can reduce the quality of the study and pose a threat to patient rights and their safety. The present section aims to discuss ethical considerations, possible limitations, and implications of the study.
Ethical Considerations
Ensuring ethical conduct of research and protecting human rights throughout the study is essential to promote the safety of patients and nurses, as well as to improve the quality of the study. The present research utilizes a longitudinal quantitative methodology, which means that the data will be collected from the patients on a regular basis over a long period of time. Thus, the critical ethical concern is to ensure and confirm voluntary participation. In addition, it is critical to establish measures for promoting patient safety throughout the study.
The World Health Organization (WHO, 2013) provides useful guidelines for ensuring an ethical approach to patient research. First of all, it is necessary to submit a research design to the ethics committee for approval. If necessary, the researchers should make modifications to improve the protection of patients and their rights. Moreover, to ensure voluntary participation, the researchers should provide all the relevant information about the study to the participants and obtain informed consent, as well as the patient’s approval to use their medical data for analysis and in publication. Furthermore, the participants should have an opportunity to leave the study at any stage if they are willing to do so. Finally, to promote patient safety, the researchers and nurses should adhere to evidence-based practices in patient safety (WHO, 2013). This approach can help to address ethical considerations and protect human rights.
Limitations
The main limitation of the proposed research is that it will include patients that are in full-time hospital care and those that are at home. Although there is a great variety of studies that focus on congestive heart failure (CHF) patients post-discharge, it might be difficult to obtain conclusive results if the patients are in two different settings. Also, a quantitative methodology also has some limitations, such as the depth of data obtained (Ingham-Broomfield, 2014). For instance, structured questionnaires would not allow the patients to share their experience in a free form. While the study focuses on the practical application of the intervention rather than on patient stories, patients can provide valuable insight into their experience with the education plan or share concerns about its functional aspects. Finally, the study does not consider nurses’ thoughts on the intervention, which could offer more information about its application. For example, if the results are inconclusive, nurses could suggest other factors that impacted patient health outcomes in the study.
Implications for Practice
The results of the present research can be used to inform best practices in nursing care for patients with CHF. The analysis will highlight the effect of education and training, as well as continuous monitoring, on readmission rates. If the results are positive, the study could be used in further research or in practice to improve patient health outcomes and reduce readmission rates. However, if the results are inconclusive, they can still be used in research. For instance, future studies could focus on a particular aspect of the intervention, such as diet or exercise alone. Overall, the research will improve the understanding of factors affecting readmission rates among CHF patients.
References
Ingham-Broomfield, R. (2014). A nurses’ guide to quantitative research. The Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, 32(2), 32-38.
World Health Organization (WHO). (2013). Ethical issues in patient safety research: Interpreting existing guidance. Web.