NURSING 7204 Clinical Nursing Practice I

Article Critique

The article by Woods, O’Conor, Martynenko, and Wolf (2016) sought to establish the correlation between control of asthma and airway obstruction and the daily activities in adults. The design of the study was based on the analysis of data obtained from a cohort study of people with asthma aged 60 years and above. Using already available data in research is easy because it saves the researcher the time that would have been spent going to the field and collecting data. Furthermore, study cohorts are always conducted by professionals therefore the data obtained reliable (Parker & Berman, 2016). Data was collected from institutions caring for the aged especially the ones that cared for those with cardio-pulmonary complications. Chi square was used to determine the difference between patients with daily activity living limitations and those without. The results of the study established that patients with poor asthma control methods were more likely to suffer from symptoms that limited their capacity to undertake daily activities. The study also established that patients with one or more activity daily limitations were more likely to be women. The results of the study were in line with expectations because the study design employed was simple but the point. The data collection technique was also effective as it eliminated bais and challenges that might have been introduced had the researcher decided to collect data.

Literature Review

According to Jones (2013), effectiveness in the treatement of asthma has often been measured by looking at symptoms and pulmonary function. Asthma is a pulmonary obstructive disease. The condition is often triggered by the weather or allergic reactions caused by being near allergens (McCloud, 2016; Barnett, 2016). The objective of treating asthma is so that the airway can be open always. Furthermore, treatement of the condition often aims at reducing the sysmptoms. The measure of the extent to which diseases interfere with the daily lives of individuals is a source of important data for a number of factors including socio-economic effects of the given disease on a population. Jones (2013), explains that over the years developments in the understanding of diseases has prompted researchers to employ disease specific methodologies in order to under better the effects of disease on the lives of patients. In the study by Woods, O’Conor, Martynenko, and Wolf (2016), the objective of the study was to establish the relationship between asthma control and airway obstruction and the capacity of patients to perform their daily activities effectively.

Physical and Psychological Impact of Asthma on a Person’s Activities of Daily Living

Most of asthma symptoms are associated with the obstruction of the airway and as identified in the study by Jones (2013) the objective of treating the condition is reducing the obstruction of the airway. The results of the study by Wolf (2016) established that patients who did not control the condition effectively were faced with situations that prevented them from undertaking their daily activities effectively. A similar study by Baveystock and Jones (2017), introduced another factor that can affect the quality of life of patients with asthma. The study realized that patient perception on the severity of the disease had an impact in how they carried out their daily activities. For instance, if a patient feels that the condition is more severe than it actually is, then the patient might forrgo some daily activities. The study by Baveystock and Jones (1991), was conducted in six countries and estalished that there was no singificant country difference as far as perception of the patients affected how patients carried out their daily activities. The study also established that the quality of care also determined how patients performed their daily activities. Baveystock and Jones (2017) realized that patients in hospitals where practitioners took extra cautions to care for patients, the patients were able to perform their duties normally. However, in hospitals with poor quality of care patients were constantly ills and therefore not able to perform their duties effectively.

According to Jones (2017), the success of studies that look for relationships with proper disease control and affected daily living was the development of measure that were specific to the disease in question. Initially, affected daily living was measured on general illness instead of being specific to a give disease. The study by Woods, O’Conor, Martynenko, and Wolf (2016), used a cohort obtained from hospitals with patients suffering from cardiopulmnary diseases. The approach was prudent since it would have been unethical to compell patients to undergo undertake ativities in order to establish how well they undertook their daily activities (Lo, 2012). The study used results collected over time on the effectiveness with which the patients did their daily duties. In the study by Baveystock and Jones (2017), distressful situations were simulated and the patients observed on how they responded to these situations. In addition, the study also observed how these patients attended to their daily activities. The simulations were controlled and therefore no ethical issues arose.

Impact of the Review on Nursing Practice

Nurses play an important role in providing quality care for patients in health care institutions. The review has revealed that it is important to involve the patient in ensuring quality care. For instance, in the study by Woods, O’Conor, Martynenko, and Wolf (2016) patients with poor asthma control methods were often not able to undertake duties effectively. Care cannot be left entirely on nurses because they are usually forced to care for multiple patients at any given time (Holland, 2013). Thefore, patients should be taught to participate actively in care. For instance, patients can be taught to take medication on time and to avoid situations that might trigger symtpoms. Furthemore, patients with asthma can be taught to identify the allergens that trigger the diseases so that they can always avoid these allergens. The study also established that nursing can benefit significantly from studies that specifically compare diseases to the ability of individuals to undertake daily activities. Such studies can improve knowledge among nurses by helping them to identify factors that affect the quality of life of patients. For instance, in the study by Baveystock and Jones (2017) it was realized that the perception of patient of the severity of the disease can affect how they carry out their daily duties. In essence, the systematic literature review was beneficial because it brought into perspective important realities of patient care for the nursing profession.

References

Barnett, M. (2016). Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Primary Care. New York, NY: John Wiley.

Baveystock, Q., & Jones, W. (2017). Influence of Demographic and Disease Related Factors on the Degree of Distress Associated with Symptoms and Restrictions on Daily Living Due to Asthma in Six Countries. Journal of Physiology and Medicine .

Holland, N. J. (2013). Comprehensive Nursing Care in Multiple Sclerosis. New York, NY: Springer.

Jones, P. (2013). Quality of Life Symptoms and Pulmonary Functions in Asthma: Long Term Treatment with Nedrocomil Sodium Examined in a Controlled Multicenter Trial. European Respiratory Journal.

Lo, B. (2012). Ethical Issues in Clinical Research: A Practical Guide. San Francisco, CA: Kluwe.

McCloud, A. (2016). Asthma: Asthma Cure: How to Treat Asthma: How to Prevent Asthma, All Natural Remedies for Asthma, Medical Breakthroughs for Asthma, and Proper Diet and Exercises for Asthma. New York, NY: Routledge.

Parker, R. A., & Berman, N. G. (2016). Planning Clinical Research. Los Angeles, CA: Cambridge University Press.

Woods, E. C., O’Conor, R., Martynenko, M., & Wolf, M. S. (2016). Associations Between Asthma Control and Airway Obstruction and Performance of Activities of Daily Living in Older Adults with Asthma. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society .