HLSC122 Evidence For Practice

Introduction

In order to give reasonable care to the patient, it is essential to invoke the scientific studies that have been carried out. These studies will assist in coming up with an evidence-based practice when determining the best alternative for the patient. Evidence-based practice compares the values and circumstances of the patient with the finding of the research in order to establish their applicability in solving the patient problems. Some of the information provided by the research, however, may not be clear and sometimes lacks credibility, hence they may not be significant to the patient situation. The essay will use Joanne case scenario to highlight the main evidence-based practice stage for critical evaluation. This will ensure that the best available evidence is used to answer Joanne’s question the effectiveness of using an e-cigarette to help Joanne quit smoking compared to other nicotine therapies. The essay will critically assess the qualitative and quantitative characteristics to establish the effectiveness e-cigarette by evaluation of aim, authorship, research design and the result of the research. The essay will examine the barriers to the application of evidence and evaluate Joanne’s response to the study question on the effectiveness of e-cigarette and other therapies that aid in smoking (Kalkhoran & Glantz, 2016).

Part A: Strength and limitations of the research

 Some of the strength and limitations of the author in the study can be summarized as follows. The author’s strengths include, the author use of large sample to represent the population to ensure that the results of the study are precise, accurate and more reliable, the author collected data directly from smokers who used e-cigarette to help them quit smoking hence the information was first hand, another strength of the author is that he carried out the research when the use of e-cigarette as an aid to quit smoking was an emerging issue. Last but not list, the use of randomized controlled trials to evaluate the efficacy and effectiveness of e-cigarette was critical for the success of the research. The research had the following limitations; first, there was no biochemical proof to establish abstinence among smokers because smokers who were on treatment to help them cease cigarette smoking felt the burden to report abstinence even though the method was not effective. Secondly, there are different categories of e-cigarette and NRT with variations in side effects and nicotine vaporization (Brown, Beard, Kotz, Michie, & West, 2014). Thirdly, the research used recall data hence the study was biased. Other research limitations were, the study sample was self- selected hence there was a likelihood of bias in the sample selected and establishing the effectiveness of e-cigarette as an aid to the regulation of smoking in adults is anticipated to take several years hence the may have presented unreliable findings and incorrect conclusion. The research was funded by various organizations, among them is, UK fellowship for the study of addiction and UK cancer research. Authors had interest in justifying the effectiveness of e-cigarette use. There is no identifiable conflict of interest in the research. There is possibility of biasness due to method of selecting the sample (McAuley, Hopke, Zhao & Babaian, 2012).

Research questions

 Research questions are used by the researcher to highlight the aims and objectives of the study being undertaken. The research questions are important because they act as a guide for the researcher to use in the process of carrying out the study. Some of the research questions for this study include; is the use of e-cigarette is an effective therapy to regulate cigarette smoking in adults? Is the use of e-cigarette a better option compared to other nicotine replacement therapies?  What is the significance of e-cigarette in the health sector? Lastly, which are the health implication of using e-cigarette as a therapy to quit smoking? The research is justifiable because it will assist in the individuals who smoke the cigarette and wish to quit smoking to select the best therapy to help them quit smoking, also deaths rates caused by cigarette has increased over years therefore there is need to control this. Knowledge on the effectiveness of e-cigarette is lacking so this study is significant (Farsalinos, Tsiapras, Kyrzopoulos, Savvopoulou, & Voudris, 2014). The problem lacks enough knowledge because it is an emerging issue. E-cigarette may encourage experimentation among the youths who have not smoked before or cause them to use traditional cigarette altogether. This research has not addressed this.

Research design

This is a primary study because it involves getting firsthand information through a direct collection of data from the participants. A research design can be understood as the style used by the researcher to carry out a study. The researcher applied a cross-sectional survey in selecting the study sample. Data was collected from people with similar attributes but differing in any other attributes like income levels (Taylor, Bogdan & DeVault, 2015). The research design used by the researcher is suitable for the study because its targeted individuals of different ages but other aspects were similar and the study intended to get information from the sample without variable manipulation. It is clear that data was collected by use of semi structured interviews and the researcher’s justification for the method is that the method is consistent with study questions (Lewis, (2015).

Research methods

This includes the sampling methods used and the methods for collecting and analyzing data. Participants were selected through self-selection method that is individuals were allowed to participate in the study provided they were willing. The study participants included individuals who smoked cigarette often at the time of the study or the preceding twelve months and who had made at least one attempt to quit smoking. This method saves the researcher’s time in selecting suitable units for the research.  However, the method has a limitation of biases because the sample may not be a representative of the population. The method of data collection used by the researcher was the survey method (Elo, Kääriäinen, Kanste, Pölkki, Utriainen, & Kyngäs, 2014). The strength of the technique is that it’s easier to use when doing the research. Conversely, the accuracy of the information collected will depend on the respondent’s honesty. Mis-interpretation of information is also a limitation of this method, for example, the researcher question, ‘how strong have the urges to smoke been’ could be interpreted and understood differently by respondents. In data analysis, the researcher used analysis of covariance to analyze the variable of the study. The method used is significant for this study because it helped in establishing the difference in effectiveness and efficiency of the therapies. (Grana, Benowitz & Glantz, 2014).

Results of the study

The results of the research revealed that e-cigarette an efficient therapy that can be used by smokers who wish to quit smoking. Those who used e-cigarette therapy to help them quit smoking confirmed that it was a better option compared to other therapies. They reported abstinence from smoking compared to those who used alternative methods NRT (Kralikova, Novak, West, Kmetova & Hajek, 2013). In addition, e-cigarette compared to other therapies has fewer health complications, however, it has some undesirable implication, for instance, it can make an individual to find pleasure in other drugs and can cause lung cancer. Some of the limitations of the study were, the sample was not selected randomly, and therefore, assessing all aspects of the characteristics of the study would be difficult. The research was not planned to establish the proportional effectiveness of e-cigarette and NRT, prescription of medication and support of behavior. For better results, the evidence encourages behavioral support and medication to be combined. Several factors may have contributed to the effectiveness of e-cigarette compared with other nicotine replacement therapies. The e-cigarette can be used for a long time and its taste is the same as the normal cigarette (Drummond & Upson, 2014).

Part B:

Conclusion

We cannot use the evidence obtained from the study in clinical practice because the efficacy and safety of e-cigarette are not well understood. It is not suitable to apply e-cigarette in clinical practice because there is no established guide that recommends the therapy to be used in healthcare facilities. For the case scenario, the study recommends that Joanne use e-cigarette with other therapies because there is no quality evidence that supports e-cigarette as the only effective method to help quit smoking. Research has shown that the use of e-cigarette can lead to health complications. To sum up, knowledge among health practitioners on the effectiveness of e-cigarette is lacking and thus a research needs to do in order to determine the efficiency of e-cigarette in assisting people who smoke a cigarette to quit smoking (Bullen et al, 2013).

References

Brown, J., Beard, E., Kotz, D., Michie, S., & West, R. (2014). Real?world effectiveness of e?cigarettes when used to aid smoking cessation: a cross?sectional population study. Addiction, 109(9), 1531-1540.

Bullen, C., Howe, C., Laugesen, M., McRobbie, H., Parag, V., Williman, J., & Walker, N. (2013). Electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation: a randomised controlled trial. The Lancet, 382(9905), 1629-1637.

Drummond, M. B., & Upson, D. (2014). Electronic cigarettes. Potential harms and benefits. Annals of the American Thoracic Society, 11(2), 236-242.

Elo, S., Kääriäinen, M., Kanste, O., Pölkki, T., Utriainen, K., & Kyngäs, H. (2014). Qualitative content analysis: A focus on trustworthiness. SAGE open, 4(1), 2158244014522633.

Farsalinos, K. E., Tsiapras, D., Kyrzopoulos, S., Savvopoulou, M., & Voudris, V. (2014). Acute effects of using an electronic nicotine-delivery device (electronic cigarette) on myocardial function: comparison with the effects of regular cigarettes. BMC cardiovascular disorders, 14(1), 78.

Grana, R., Benowitz, N., & Glantz, S. A. (2014). E-cigarettes: a scientific review. Circulation, 129(19), 1972-1986.

Kalkhoran, S., & Glantz, S. A. (2016). E-cigarettes and smoking cessation in real-world and clinical settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, 4(2), 116-128.

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Kralikova, E., Novak, J., West, O., Kmetova, A., & Hajek, P. (2013). Do e-cigarettes have the potential to compete with conventional cigarettes? a survey of conventional cigarette smokers’ experiences with e-cigarettes. Chest, 144(5), 1609-1614.

Lewis, S. (2015). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Health promotion practice, 16(4), 473-475.

McAuley, T. R., Hopke, P. K., Zhao, J., & Babaian, S. (2012). Comparison of the effects of e-cigarette vapor and cigarette smoke on indoor air quality. Inhalation toxicology, 24(12), 850-857.

Taylor, S. J., Bogdan, R., & DeVault, M. (2015). Introduction to qualitative research methods: A guidebook and resource. John Wiley & Sons.