Qualitative Research Critique and Ethical Considerations

                     Qualitative Research Critique and Ethical Considerations

Introduction

Hospitalization syndrome is a world concern that has affected thousands of patients, hospitalized over a long time .hospitalization syndrome brings about the gradual loss of orientation and thinking capacity, a decrease of patient’s desire in their surrounding and unwillingness to take part in group therapy freely or even keep eye contact with other individuals.  Nevertheless, the disorder may bring about changes in both physiological and physical of the body, and life-time loss of memory. Events that granted happiness and joy initially are discontinued. Causes consist of surgery reactions, separation, water loss and excessive medication.

Hospitals and clinics all over the world offer various rehabilitation programs that may help in enhancing the social life of patients admitted in a long time. Such programs include; memory training, music or art therapy, cooking, and cognitive training. Since many hospitalized patients rear pets back at their homes, it would be of importance to introduce animal-assisted therapy in hospitals as one of the training events. Such intercommunication with pets may recollect them of home surroundings and moments. As a result, new stimulation is generated in the mind of patients. Also, since hospitals fail to administer various ways to begin intercommunication among hospitalized patients, pets like a dog can carry out such responsibilities and thus speeding relationship building and generating a topic for discussion. Therefore the research motivates patients to make mild decisions that would allow them to choose therapies they wish to undertake. Also, the objective of the research is to reduce seclusions, depressions, and anxiety, enhance thinking capacity, and improve quality of life. The primary purpose of the research is to initiate animal therapy or dog therapy to improve both the physical and social health of patients admitted in hospitals for a long period. Additionally, the research is of great importance to nursing in that a cost-effective and alternative method for rehabilitation of patients and which facilitates healing would be in use. However, how effective is pet therapy versus music therapy in minimizing or preventing hospitalization syndrome among children aged ten to fifteen years?

Relevance to the picot question

The research articles analyzed here have been used as references

Article one clearly outlines details on hoe dog therapy is essential for children undertaking surgical operations. In this research, dog therapy speeds up the recovery of patients, as it lowers stress hormones. A decrease in stress hormones for sample groups only was detected via the measurement of salivary Cortisol.  Salivary Cortisol was recommended since it is ache-free, contrary to plasma and saliva (Calcaterra et al., 2015). Therefore this research will be used to explain the children’s body reaction to the interaction of the dog. Nevertheless, the second article indicates through the use of beck depression inventory and beck anxiety inventory; patients recorded a positive impact with the dog’s interaction, This was revealed through the discussions they had about the dog, it has enhanced the memory of patients as they could recall pets they own back home (Le Roux & Kemp, 2015).

Intervention

Article one, a seven-year-old dog therapy was applied, the dog was engaged in many treatments and screens before the commencement of the research. The dog received full inoculations and treated against both internal and external pathogens. Hence the dog was qualified to take part in the therapy sessions. The sessions were within 20 mins timeline (Calcaterra et al., 2015). In the second article, the studies involved a trained therapy dog with a therapist. The training was carried out thirty minutes a week for a consecutive six weeks in a distant different room from the control group. Because of the dog’s friendliness, patients actively engaged with dogs by talking and patting the dog whenever they wanted (Le Roux & Kemp, 2015).

Also, in the picot, a dog therapy training was applied, before the start of the research, the dog undertook various training exercises which enabled it to be friendly even in stressful circumstances with the patients. Thus the dog was competent to participate in therapy pieces of training. The program was done twice a week for three months consecutively. At the end of the sessions, patients were examined to rank their mood levels based on Likert scale

Comparison

In the two qualitative studies, an alternative method like cooking and music listening not examined. However, the control group was not allowed to interact with the dog until the research period was accomplished. picot utilized both listening and drum music as an alternative invention. Also, a competent music therapist led the sessions, and upon completion, patients were requested to grade their mood level based on Likert scale

Method Of study

A systematic review,  a review in which a specific and suitable method is used to find, conclude, and summarize research concerning a particular question. The main advantages of this method are that it provides the procedure to be followed while carrying out the review, thus minimizing biases. Also, exploitive findings are conducted to find the most appropriate research

A randomized controlled trial, a method in which patients randomly grouped into two or more groups, where is the sample group is getting the intervention examined while the other is the standing group or comparison group getting an alternate intervention. The main advantages of this study are; a direct comparison is made with the treated groups to determine the most appropriate one. Additionally, a crucial test is easily interpreted, thus making the method more reliable (Calcaterra et al., 2015).

Results

Article 1

Endocrinological results; no change of salivary cortisol levels detected between animal therapy and control group

Pain scale data; decrease in the magnitude of pain recorded in the sample group unlike the experimental group and decrease in stress hormones (Calcaterra et al., 2015)

Article two

Significant changes were recorded between before and after beck depression inventory test for the sample, whereas no changes were detected for the sample group in both before and after BDI test (Le Roux & Kemp, 2015)

Implications

The two studies imply that dog therapy speeds up the recovery of a patient hospitalized over a long period by decreasing the stress levels, hence the need for many hospitals to initiate animal therapy as a rehabilitation activity for long term hospitalized patients.

Ethical considerations

Vulnerable groups of individuals

Currently, concern has heightened about the misuse of endangered groups in research.  Fisher studies highlight vulnerability one’s situation to unable to protect their rights and well-being.  Such people are not allowed to be included in research studies because of their incapability to make their own decisions hence higher probability of being misguided, threatened or even forced to participate in research (Roberts, 205)

Respect for privacy

Privacy is the liberty a person has to determine the time, extent, and the general circumstances under which individual information will be shared or disclosed to others. Privacy infringement arises when personal information such as suggestions, reactions, and details is disclosed with others. Also, a researcher is not permitted to decide on behalf of other persons on such tangible matters. All aims, equipment, and procedures must be agreed with the patent owners and research employees before the research begins (Roberts, 205)

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Ethics respected by the articles

Respect for vulnerable groups of people

The research articles fully honored the rights of the children. Before the commencement of the studies, parents and guardians received information about the research and issued authorization of children’s involvement in the studies (Calcaterra et al., 2015).

Care for animals

In the two types of research articles, the owner of the dog issued permission for its use in the research. Also, no offensive injection administered on the dog and the dog undertook several pieces of training to enable it to cause no harm to patients (Calcaterra et al., 2015)

References

Calcaterra, V., Veggiotti, P., Palestrini, C., De Giorgis, V., Raschetti, R., Tumminelli, M., … & Ostuni, S. (2015). Post-Operative Benefits of Animal-Assisted Therapy in pediatric surgery: a randomized study. PloS one, 10(6).

Le Roux, M. C., & Kemp, R. (2009). Effect of a Companion dog on Depression and Anxiety levels of Elderly Residents in a Long‐Term Care Facility. Psychogeriatrics, 9(1), 23-26.

Roberts, L. D. (2015). Ethical Issues in Conducting Qualitative Research in online communities. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 12(3), 314-325.