Introduction
There are numerous different nursing practice issues that medical professionals strive to address to improve patient outcomes. Currently, there is a severe growth in patients suffering from type 2 diabetes mellitus, and it is expected that their number will increase to 592 million by 2035 (de Sousa Oliveira & Guerriero José, 2022). This writing aims to thoroughly summarize two qualitative peer-reviewed studies on the selected problem.
The paper seeks to answer the following PICOT question: In older adults with type 2 diabetes in an acute care setting (P), does a multidisciplinary team approach (I), compared to standard nursing care (C), improve glucose management and result in fewer hypoglycemic episodes (O) within three months (T)? Although the two articles do not answer this question directly, they can be used to prove that a comprehensive approach, parts of which are self-management and education, is an effective way to help persons with diabetes.
Background of Studies
To begin with, it is essential to summarize the two studies, including their focus areas. Firstly, the problem behind the research by Gillani et al. (2017) is that many physically disabled persons with type 2 diabetes lack relevant knowledge about self-care practices, which negatively affects patient outcomes. This study is significant to nursing practice as it is the first to focus on medication adherence and self-management practices of disabled persons with diabetes. The objective of Gillani et al. (2017) is to contribute to the elimination of barriers to adequate glycemic control. Their article aims to determine the identified population’s primary challenges, dietary modifications, and self-care methods.
Next, the other article explores the complexity of senior patients’ medication regimens, trying to improve nurses’ knowledge. The objective of de Sousa Oliveira and Guerriero José (2022) is to “understand how older adults with diabetes mellitus manage their medication regimens” (p. 1). Such information can make nurses more aware of medication adherence trends, thus improving patient outcomes and preventing them from dying from type 2 diabetes. Consequently, this study’s purpose and research question are similar to its objective.
Supporting the Selected Nursing Practice Problem
Both research papers can contribute to answering the provided PICOT question. It is essential to learn whether addressing type 2 diabetes mellitus becomes more effective if a multidisciplinary approach is applied. Such a comprehensive method involves educational practices and increasing awareness among patients diagnosed with this condition, so conclusions drawn by Gillani et al. (2017) and de Sousa Oliveira and Guerriero José (2022) are essential. In the PICOT question, the population is older adults with type 2 diabetes, and the interventions compared are a multidisciplinary team approach and standard nursing care.
Thus, de Sousa Oliveira and Guerriero José (2022) explore the same population, and Gillani et al. (2017) focus on persons with diabetes and physical disabilities. Their interventions involve self-management practices, medication regimen adherence, and specific interventions, such as mobile phone apps (Jeffrey et al., 2019), to help patients overcome barriers that prevent them from managing their disease effectively. Those methods and factors that are found to be contributing and efficient in the two articles can be added to the comprehensive approach to prove their value.
Method of Studies
Further, it is essential to review the research methods selected by the authors and discuss some of their limitations and strengths. Firstly, Gillani et al. (2017) conducted qualitative interview sessions with the representatives of three ethnic groups, including Indians, Chinese, and Malays. Noticeably, “interview questions were related to participants’ perception towards self-monitoring blood glucose practices, awareness towards diet management, behavior to diabetes medication and cues of action” (Gillani et al., 2017, p. 1).
Next, de Sousa Oliveira and Guerriero José (2022) conducted a “descriptive qualitative study using an inductive approach,” performing twelve face-to-face interviews with the population’s representatives (p. 1). The key limitation of this method is that only a few people can be interviewed, and it is challenging to ensure the results represent the whole population. At the same time, it is pretty beneficial that researchers can notice participants’ non-verbal and verbal cues, behaviors, and emotions during interviews.
Results of Studies
The results of the research papers are rather beneficial and informative. Thus, blood glucose self-monitoring practices and lifestyle readjustments should be a part of overall diabetes management (de Sousa Oliveira & Guerriero José, 2022; Gillani et al., 2017). Both senior patients and persons with disabilities are affected by intrinsic and extrinsic factors, as well as their doubts about the effectiveness of any interventions.
At the same time, both studies prove that adequate educational awareness tools can help patients with type 2 diabetes better manage their health. For instance, one way to do that is to teach these persons to use specialized mobile apps (Jeffrey et al., 2019). As for the nursing implications, these two studies contribute significantly to nurses’ understanding of specific challenges faced by seniors and disabled patients with type 2 diabetes and increase medical professionals’ awareness about addressing them.
Ethical Considerations
Ethical considerations play a significant role in research because a lack of them might make a study immoral and even harm participants. For example, researchers must receive informed consent from those involved, ensuring the participants know what is required. Moreover, to make the research process legal and ethical, it is necessary to receive approval from relevant authorities or adhere to the best and most efficient criteria when developing a research approach. Both these elements were taken into consideration in the analyzed articles.
Thus, according to Gillani et al. (2017), they received verbal and written informed consent from the selected patients. Moreover, “research ethics approval was acquired before the commencement of the study, from Clinical Research Committee (CRC), Ministry of Health Malaysia (NMRR10-776-6941)” (Gillani et al., 2017, p. 3). Further, de Sousa Oliveira and Guerriero José (2022) referred to the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) to make their procedures ethical and rigorous. They also received informed consent from all twelve participants.
Conclusion
To conclude, both studies are rather informative and can be used to answer the PICOT question. They prove the need to increase awareness of patients with diabetes and teach them to manage their condition better. These interventions are a valuable part of a multidisciplinary team approach. Articles by Gillani et al. (2017) and de Sousa Oliveira and Guerriero José (2022) use the same qualitative research method while focusing on slightly different populations. Ethics is considered in both studies, and their results offer practical implications for nursing practice.
References
de Sousa Oliveira, C. J., & Guerriero José, H. M. (2022). Older people with type 2 diabetes mellitus: Contributions to understanding medication regimen management. Revista de Enfermagem Referência, 1–8. Web.
Gillani, S. W., Suleiman, S. A. S., Abdul, M. I. M., & Saad, S. Y. (2017). A qualitative study to investigate the perception and behavior of patients with a physical disability toward diabetes management. Diabetology and Metabolic Syndrome, 9(1). Web.
Jeffrey, B., Bagala, M., Creighton, A., Leavey, T., Nicholls, S., Wood, C., Longman, J., Barker, J., & Pit, S. (2019). Mobile phone applications and their use in the self-management of type 2 diabetes mellitus: A qualitative study among app users and non-app users. Diabetology & Metabolic Syndrome, 11(1), 1-17. Web.