The article, “The effect of acupressure on the level of fatigue in hemodialysis patients” authored by Eğlence, Karataş, and Taşci (2013) reports the findings of a study conducted to investigate the effectiveness of acupressure in reducing the level of fatigue among patients undergoing hemodialysis. The researchers used a quantitative approach to explore the topic. Although the article does not give an explicit research question, which was utilized in the study, it is possible to develop one based on the research problem. In this regard, this paper argues that the research was based on the following question: Does acupressure help to reduce fatigue among patients undergoing hemodialysis?
Initial Objectives (Hypothesis)
The researchers’ primary objective was to investigate whether acupressure treatment was an effective cure for fatigue among dialectic patients (Eğlence et al., 2013). Just like the research question, the article does not explicitly state the hypothesis. However, based on the research question, the authors of this article may have been guided by the following imaginary hypotheses:
H1: Acupressure is an effective cure for fatigue among the patients undergoing HD treatments
H2: Acupressure is not an effective cure for fatigue among the patients undergoing HD treatments
Evaluation of Research Methods
The reviewed study utilized a quantitative approach to collect and analyze data pertaining to the study population. Cohen, Manion, and Morrison (2013) define a quantitative research as a study approach in which data is collected statistically using observations, surveys, polls, and/or by manipulating pre-existing statistical data using computational techniques. The reviewed study used a quantitative method in which data was collected and analyzed statistically.
The authors of the research did not include a literature review section in the article. In most research articles, a literature review section is included to inform the reader about the importance of the study and the viewpoints of other researchers in the field (Cohen et al., 2013). For this article, the literature review section is missing, a situation that may raise the question of the substance of the researched topic. However, the authors seem to address the issue by reviewing some of the previous works of the literature in the introductory and the results discussion sections.
In the recent past, the number of people with ESRD has grown tremendously in almost every country around the globe. As an alternative to a kidney transplant, people are continually embracing dialysis, which refers to the artificial cleaning of the blood using a dialyzer. Dialysis has numerous side effects, which may negatively affect a patient’s quality of life. Fatigue is one of the side effects of the illness, which must be controlled to enable patients to lead quality lives (Eğlence et al., 2013). Since dialysis is one of the most embraced treatments for kidney disorders in the contemporary healthcare, the article may be said to be current and relevant. Additionally, the research may be termed as recent since the articles that the researchers use to develop the assumed hypotheses are not old. None of the articles in the reference list is older than 15 years.
This study used experimental approach. Cohen et al. (2013) define an experimental research approach as one in which the researcher randomly assigns the sample population to either the experiment or the control groups and avails some kind of intervention to the tentative group. In the study reviewed in this paper, the sample population was divided into two groups before acupressure was administered to one group. The researchers then studied the levels of fatigue for the two groups at different stages of the research.
The study recruited a sample population of 118 ESRD patients who were undergoing hemodialysis at the time of recruitment. The patients would then be assigned into experimental or the control group. In my opinion, the sample size was enough to produce reliable results for this study. To qualify for inclusion in this study, the respondents had to meet the following criteria (Eğlence et al., 2013):
- Be aged above 18 years and above
- Had been on hemodialysis for at least 3 months
- Received at least three weekly hemodialysis sessions
- Had a visual analog scale of at least 3 or more for fatigue
- Did not have other chronic illnesses
- Did not have injury of any kind
- Had not undergone any surgical operation
- Agreed to participate
In my opinion, the work reviewed in this paper seems practical since the results concur with those obtained by other researchers in the field. The concurrence of the results implies that the current study was highly accurate and reliable. The other reason for supporting the practicality of this study is that it describes the differences between the experimental and the control group quite clearly. From the explanation, a reader is able to conceptualize the effectiveness of the drug. Nurses and other healthcare providers can use the findings from this research to promote the wellbeing of hemodialysis patients. Those undergoing dialysis record high levels of fatigue. Such levels may interfere with their day-to-day activities or lead to poor quality of lives.
The study used 118 participants who were drawn from a cross-section of ESRD patients undergoing hemodialysis (Eğlence et al., 2013). The sample is too small to enable the researchers to obtain accurate results for generalization. The results would have been improved by recruiting a larger sample size. The other strategy that the researcher would have employed to better the research is to use a mixed method approach. The mentioned methodology involves the contemporaneous use of both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The use of the two methods simultaneously would allow the comparison of the data collected from the participants to increase the validity and reliability of the results.
The article is written in a clear and straightforward manner for the reader to grasp all issues discussed. Firstly, the language used by the authors is uncomplicated and easily comprehensible to the authors and readers. Secondly, the work is arranged in a coherent manner where each theme is presented under a subtopic. The split of the article into subtopics is a major strength since it empowers readers to locate the specific subject they want to study. Lastly, the methodology and results sections are clearly articulated. However, although they contain all the relevant information that the reader may wish to learn, the two sections are brief.
As stated previously in this paper, the study used a small sample population, a situation that raises the question of the reliability and validity of the results. According to Cohen et al. (2013), the larger the sample size used by a researcher, the more reliable the result obtained. In this regard, future researchers should utilize a larger sample population to acquire reliable results, which can be generalized to represent the whole population.
In addition, the research was limited to hemodialysis patients while ignoring patients who were undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD). Research by Hodzic et al. (2016) indicates that PD patients also experience some degree of fatigue, which could equally be prevented by administering acupressure. Therefore, future researchers may explore the topic with reference to PD patients to seal the gap in knowledge regarding the subject.
Conclusion
The article, “The effect of acupressure on the level of fatigue in hemodialysis patients” summarizes the findings of a research carried out to investigate the efficacy of acupressure in fighting fatigue among hemodialysis patients. The study recruited a sample population of 118 ESRD patients who were then undergoing hemodialysis treatment. The researchers employed a quantitative research approach in which the sample population was divided into two, namely, the experimental and the control groups.
Acupressure was administered to patients in the experimental group while the control group never received any treatment. The results revealed that acupressure is an effective cure for fatigue among hemodialysis patients. The study is current is the health issue addressed is being witnessed in almost every hospital around the world. Besides, the sources that the articles the researcher used to develop the research hypothesis are not too old. However, the quantitative method used may have ignored data that could have been availed if qualitative approaches were also included in the study. As a result, future researchers may think about the way forward concerning sealing this gap, for instance, by employing a mixed methods approach to obtain reliable results.
References
Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2013). Research methods in education. London, England: Routledge.
Eğlence, R., Karataş, N., & Taşci, S. (2013). The effect of acupressure on the level of fatigue in hemodialysis patients. Alternative Therapies in Health & Medicine, 19(6), 23-31.
Hodzic, E., Rasic, S., Klein, C., Covic, A., Unsal, A., Cunquero, J., …Uehlinger, D. (2016). Clinical validation of a peritoneal dialysis prescription model in the patient on line software. Artificial Organs, 40(2), 144-152