Research Critiques and PICOT Statement Final Draft

Christiana Bona

Grand Canyon University

October 16, 2019

Childhood Obesity

Picot Question: How do the new practical approaches in the diagnosis and management help in the reduction of obesity issues as compared to the lack of reliance on the traditional approaches (diet and exercise)?

Background

Childhood obesity is considered to be a major international growing problem. Even though there is a high rate of obesity cases in the United States and other regions of the world for the past 30 years, there is still a lack of clear treatment approaches to be applied to reduce this incidence. Healthcare providers are lacking ideas on where they should find approaches related to the guidance and the process of managing the healthcare services to about one-third of the population who are affected by the healthcare issues associated with obesity. The Pediatric Obesity Algorithm is now considered to be an evidence-based approach in terms of diagnosing and managing childhood obesity. The authors of this study aimed at providing a summary of the topics from the Pediatric Obesity Algorithm related to the diagnosis of pediatric obesity, assessment, and management. Other tasks include the performance of differential diagnosis, reviewing the systems, diagnosis of the workup, physical examinations, management of age-specific, and the treatment of the associated weight gain. The outcome of this study will, therefore, help in the identification and treatment of children with obesity through using the Pediatric Obesity Algorithm which serves as a guide to healthcare providers with evidence-based approaches to the diagnosis process and managing obesity in children and offering families with the tools they require to ensure that there is healthy future.

How the article is supporting the topic

The article above is talking about some of the present gaps concerning the management and treatment of obesity among children. Through identifying that there is an absence of clear treatment approaches that can be relied on the treat and manage obesity among children, the authors of this article proposed that the Pediatric Obesity Algorithm can be successful in providing evidence-based approaches for diagnosing and amanging childhood obesity. Therefore, Pediatric Obesity Algorithm can be considered as a new approach in managing and diagnosisng obesity among children as compared to the traditional methods that involve watching the diet and exercise which is sometimes not followed by children. Pediatric Obesity Algorithm approach is helping in ensuring that there is a proper physical examination, age-specific management, use of medication and surgery, and performance of differential diagnosis among other procedures that are performed in this approach.

Method of Study

The method used by the authors is based on the qualitative content analysis using research samples (100) articles from the previous studies. The studies were those which were undertaken to study the pediatric obesity algorithm. The setting of the study was mainly the healthcare facilities within the United States. This method of study cannot be relied on since it is mostly associated with errors from the previous studies.

Results

Based on the findings of this study, a pediatric algorithm is important since it helps in guiding healthcare providers with practical evidence-based approaches required to diagnose and manage childhood obesity. The process of identifying and treatment of patients is an important aspect and it needs to be done earlier enough. A comprehensive process of management through using the Pediatric Obesity Algorithm is guiding the healthcare providers with some practical and evidence-based approaches needed for the diagnosis and management of obesity among children. This study is important to future scholars who wish to study the role played by the Pediatric Obesity Algorithm in the prevention of obesity among children as compared to the future proposed intervention. This study is also important to the healthcare providers since it informs about the effectiveness of the Pediatric Obesity Algorithm in the prevention of childhood obesity.

Outcomes

The anticipated outcome from the PICOT question is that new effective practical approaches such as Pediatric Obesity Algorithm in the diagnosis and management are helping in the early detection and management of childhood obesity. The outcomes of this article reveal that the Pediatric Obesity Algorithm helps healthcare providers to use the practical approaches needed to diagnose and manage childhood obesity. The similarity between the expected outcome of the PICOT question and the new approach from the study is that there will be an improvement in the procedure of diagnosing and management of obesity in children thus reduces the reported cases of obesity.

Rankin, A., Blood-Siegfried, J., Vorderstrasse, A., & Chlebowy, D. (2015). Implementation of childhood obesity identification and prevention strategies in primary care: A quality improvement project. International Journal of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 2 (2), 59-63.

Background

According to this study, the increase incidences of childhood obesity combined with the increased cases of morbidity and financial burden needs the process of identifying and implementing helpful pediatric obesity prevention approaches in primary care. The solution proposed by the authors of this study is that there is a need to have evidence-based clinical course of actions to provide brief, culturally suitable information related to measures of identifying and preventing childhood obesity within primary care. The study was aimed at implementing the childhood obesity process of identifying and offering the prevention guidelines using evidence-based recommendations and tracking form.

How the article support the nurse practice issue chosen

This study is related to the PICOT question since it also seeks to explore some of the cultural suitable approaches needed to helping in the process of managing and treating obesity among children. The article is providing an answer to the PICOT question by providing the best practice approaches which are necessary towards the diagnosis and management of childhood obesity. Through using evidence-based recommendations and tracking forms as the best practices, it becomes easier to manage and treat obesity among children.

Methodology

The setting for this study was in the pediatric primary care offices which serves the rural and semi-rural regions. The practice staffs included in the study were physicians, nurses, physician assistants, front office staff, and medical assistants. The patients were age between four years to adult and they were mostly from the underserved group of people with 42 percent of the population being the beneficiaries of the Medicaid. The population consisted of 33 percent of individuals from the Hispanic community. The benefit of this study is that it was only based on a single setting as opposed to two like the previous article thus suggesting that the responses that will be provided by the study participants will be somehow similar. Nevertheless, the authors of this study failed to provide exhaustively detailed on how data were collected.

Results of the study

The key outcome of the study is that there was an increase in the practice in identifying and documenting measures of preventing obesity through the motivational interviewing, there was a positive outcome in the pediatric population following practice change which involved the inclusion of identifying childhood obesity and familial prevention approaches. The implementation of the evidence-based guidelines is important in increasing the process of identifying the risk of childhood obesity and improved familial education on the prevention of obesity.

Concerning the implication of this study, the incorporation of the Motivational interviewing on the tracking tool is providing an evidence-based strategies for motivating the clients as well as their families to choose to live healthy lives. This allows nurses to improve the well-being of their patients. It also increases awareness among nurses and educating them on the means of ensuring that healthy lifestyles are developed and reduction of the risk factors in the population.

The outcome comparison

The outcome of this article is to ensure that there is a reduction in the morbidity and the financial burden associated with the increased cases of childhood obesity. The anticipated outcome of the PICOT question is to ensure that there is an reduction in the rate of childhood obesity by using effective practices of diagnosing and management. This will help in reducing the morbidity and death of childhood deaths as a result of obesity. Both PICOT and outcomes from the study are aimed at ensuring the there are best practices to help in reducing the incidences of obesity and deaths associated with this disorder.

Reference:

Cuda, S., & Censani, M. (2018). Pediatric Obesity Algorithm: A Practical Approach to Obesity

Diagnosis and Management. Frontiers in pediatrics, 6.