Introduction
Taking into consideration the PICOT question selected for research, this paper will discuss the article that focuses on risks assessment scales that are used by healthcare professionals in order to predict and minimalize hospital-acquired pressure ulcers. For example, Ingwu, Ayanor, and Ohaeri (2015) published a research paper that fits the topic and focuses on “Factors influencing nurses’ use of risk assessment scale for preventing pressure ulcer among patients in National Orthopaedic Hospital, Enugu State, South Eastern, Nigeria”. This study is likely to provide appropriate information because it was published just a year ago and is peer-reviewed. In addition to that, the article is targeted at nursing professionals and students, which is to the point.
Is this a quantitative or qualitative research article?
The article is based on a qualitative research that was maintained in the form of a non-experimental cross-sectional descriptive study. Its main purpose is to examine those factors that affect nurses’ decision to use risk assessment scales when working with those patients who are likely to suffer from pressure ulcers obtained during a stay in National Orthopaedic Hospital. The authors underline that this topic was selected because today the number of critically ill patients increase and, being put under pressure, nurses often occur to be not able to prevent tissue breakdown, which is a critical problem for the whole healthcare system.
What are the problem and purpose of the research article?
The research study tried to find out what factors “influence the nurses’ use of risk assessment scales for predicting pressure ulcer among patients of National Orthopaedic Hospital, Enugu State, South Eastern Nigeria” (Ingwu, Ayanor, & Ohaeri, 2015, p. 146). I order to answer it, the professionals developed questionnaires that focused on this issue. They were distributed to nurses from all shifts. The obtained information was then analyzed with the help of statistical package for social sciences version 20. Descriptive statistics helped the researchers to reveal socio-economic aspects of the existing issue. Finally, there was a necessity to test the influence of factors on the use of risk assessment scales. It was addressed with the help of the inferential statistics of regression analysis.
The decision to utilize mentioned data gathering and analysis methods seem to be rather appropriate for this research. They provided an opportunity to answer the main question of the study, following a logical process. More than 100 nurses participated in research that is why the utilization of questionnaire provided the authors with the opportunity to minimalize expenses and streamline data gathering process. What is more, obtained data was relatively easy to analyze, which is advantageous. The package used for data interpretation was generated specifically to work with those research studies that are discussed in the framework of social sciences. Statistic tools allowed to receive clear data and prove the accuracy of results.
What are the hypotheses or research questions/objectives of the study?
It was found out that the majority of nurses are affected by the lack of educational training and particular institutional policy that could improve their decision-making. In addition to that, they have no forms for the provision of risk assessment for patients with pressure ulcers. In addition to that, it was revealed that only few professionals received at least some training considering the issue. The authors interpreted these results with sufficient information in the discussion section and provided a range of recommendations that can fix current problems. They emphasized the value of in-service training focused on the use of risk assessment scales. What is more, the authors stated that the necessity to develop a policy on the usage of scales is required as well as a particular form that can be used by nurses.
Reference
Ingwu, A., Ayanor., N., & Ohaeri, B., (2015). Factors influencing nurses’ use of risk assessment scale for preventing pressure ulcer among patients in National Orthopaedic Hospital, Enugu State, South Eastern, Nigeria. International Journal of Nursing and Midwifery, 7(10), 146-153.