Purpose
The article by George and Thomas (2010) is aimed at reporting the issues related to diabetes self-management that were identified in a previous study. Because of the increase in the instances of diabetes development and the lack of awareness on the subject matter, a detailed overview of the existing myths and their subversion is essential to saving people’s lives.
Research Question
Seeing that the research is aimed at determining the experiences of facing diabetes self-management issues narrated by the patients, it will be reasonable to assume that the identification of the related issues and the design of the strategies that they can be addressed with is the primary purpose of the study under analysis.
Research Design
The data was collected with the help of unstructured interviews. The following analysis of the data included the elements of the quantitative strategy, yet was mostly directed at retrieving and analyzing qualitative results. Therefore, the research design can be deemed as qualitative. Particularly, the authors of the study incorporated the phenomenology approach as the research strategy.
Population
As stressed above, the paper addresses the needs of older patients. To be more accurate, the people aged 65-85 and having diabetes participated in the research. The patients taking part in the study were mentally capable and had at least 12 years of the experience of fighting diabetes.
Sample
The sample consisted of ten people. Eight people of the African American descent and two White women were included in the sample. All members of the study live in a rural area.
Data Collection
Interviews were used as the primary data collection tool.
Data Analysis
After the interviews were conducted, they were transcribed correspondingly. It was necessary to reread the transcripts several times so that the experiences of the participants could be relieved by the people analyzing the study. Thus, a more comprehensive approach toward the information analysis could be undertaken.
Limitations
It could be argued that the specified element introduced a certain element of subjectivity into the study. However, the further application of the tools that contributed to the promotion of transparency and objectivity into the study, such as a detailed phenomenological analysis of the subject matter, permitted increasing the rates of results transparency. As a result, possible biases were removed.
Conclusion
Understanding how patients view the concept of diabetes is crucial to the identification of the further means of approaching the disease and improving the quality of the services provided to the target audience. The study carried out by George and Thomas serves as a perfect foundation for improving the quality of care for the victims of diabetes.
Advanced Knowledge
The research points to the existing dents in the patients’ knowledge of diabetes and the tools for its self-management. Therefore, the research informs the audience on the further steps to be taken in order to teach patients to take care of themselves.
Reference List
George, S. R., & Thomas, S. (2010). Lived experience of diabetes among older, rural people. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 66(5), 1092-1100.
Hunt, C. W., Sanderson, B. K.,& Ellison, K. J. (2014). Support for diabetes using technology: A pilot study to improve self-management. MEDSURG Nursing, 23(4), 231-237.