Evidence Based Practice

RUA: Analyzing Published Research

Ebele C Oraekwe

Chamberlain College of Nursing

NR 449: Evidence-Based Practice

April 3th 2020

Analyzing Published Research

Clinical Question

Description of the problem

In their line of duty, medical professionals are expected to adhere to a certain code of conduct in a bid to make their work effective and maximally help patients recover from the various ailments. However, the recurrent issue of falling from immobility has been debated for a long time, hence calling for serious action research that will help address the problem. Current statistics show that patients do not fall when they are immobile, which is contrary to reality. Some hospitals record as many as 50 % cases of fall from immobility. This demonstrates that there is a gap existing in the health care sector and people need to probably devise ways to avoid fall from immobility.

Significance of the problem

Having acknowledged that there is a gap existing in the health sector, specifically in handling immobile patients, this problem helps researchers to collect data. The problem clearly specifies the area with existing gaps, giving scholars and scientific researchers’ easy time to dwell on the research. This problem will drive them to uncover the underlying issues in this facet and come up with methods of avoiding falls from immobility. Addressing this problem will not only avoid falls but also enhance professionalism in health care.

Purpose of the Paper

This paper serves to give an interpretation of the two articles that were identified in the previous unit as most important in this study. The two articles were:

The tension between Promoting Mobility and Preventing Falls in Hospital; Effects of falls prevention interventions on falls outcomes for hospitalized adults: Protocol for a systematic review with meta-analysis

Description of findings

Summary of basics

The tension between promoting mobility and preventing falls in hospitals is a scholarly article that discusses the hurdles that exist when healthcare professionals try to promote mobility and, at the same time, prevent falls in hospital. The article argues that there is always high tensions when older patients are hospitalized. The author further present claim that the current efforts to prevent falls may not be the best since they are based on the assumption that preventing patients from moving will prevent immobility. The article has based its findings on previously conducted researches. At the end of the article, the authors advocate for promoting mobility as one way of preventing injuries from falls.

The second article titled “Effects of falls prevention interventions on falls outcomes for hospitalized adults: Protocol for a systematic review with meta-analysis”, puts forth the idea of identifying fall risks and how best they can be prevented. According to this article, falls are attributed to a longer stay, re-admissions, and poor outcomes. To prevent such, the article suggests evidence-based strategies, patients’ self-management practices, and modifying the environment to enhance the stability of immobile patients. Its main objective is to assess the effectiveness of the existing preventive measures. The article is founded on statistics from WHO and other bodies that show the ever-increasing number of fall victims. It also sources its information from previously conducted research by other researchers.

Concepts

Some terms and phrases used in this study may not have the same meaning as the phenomena in real life. Fall from immobility in this research refers to the action of patients falling down when they are in a state that they cannot move, causing injuries or harm. Injuries, in this case, technically refer to the harm caused by falling when not in motion. Lastly, preventing falls refers to the strategies put in place to avoid or minimize the chances of patients falling down.

Methods used

The first article applies cluster-randomized trials in most of the case studies, but the article itself bases its research on secondary data. The article quotes sources such as studies, estimates, program results, previous publications, and other systematic reviews.

In the second article, a systematic review and meta-analysis were used. A randomized control trial is used to evaluate the effectiveness of falls prevention strategies that are put in place. The research also applied an electronic search to databases to access secondary data. The article proposes the inclusion of studies to avoid bias.

Participants

The first article depends on secondary data with different participants. Some studies relied on patients, while others based their studies on health care professionals. In the second article, the participants are victims of falls from immobility, cutting across different ages and sexes. Hospitalized patients are 21 years and above.

Reliability and validity of instruments

In both cases, the findings are valid and reliable based on the methods used to carry out the researches. These findings represent the phenomenon under measure as far as I am concerned. The first research depended on selective and reliable secondary data such as publications that are credible (Growdon, Shorr & Inouye, 2017). The second research also conducted a first-hand study that involved conducting surveys on patients who are victims of falling from immobility. The patients are at least 21 years of age and from all sexes.

Answer to purpose

These two articles perfectly address the problem identified at the beginning of the study. While the problem identifies it is the increasing cases of falls from immobility, these two articles seek to identify risk factors that contribute to such and how best they can be addressed. The second article also assesses the effectiveness of the current strategies and how to improve them.

Next step

After this unit, the group should consider carrying out an independent study on how to prevent falls from immobility using conventional methods and using the articles as a literature review.

Conclusion

Clinical researches are intensive and tight (Slade, Carey, Hill & Morris, 2017). The methods and techniques of data collection always impact the research findings and analysis, and therefore researchers should be careful when determining their research techniques. These two articles are action-based studies that best answer the research problem. There is the incorporation of both secondary and primary data, making them more valid and reliable.

References

Growdon, M., Shorr, R., & Inouye, S. (2017). The Tension Between Promoting Mobility and

Preventing Falls in the Hospital. JAMA Internal Medicine, 177(6), 759.

Slade, S., Carey, D., Hill, A., & Morris, M. (2017). Effects of falls prevention interventions

on falls outcomes for hospitalized adults: protocol for a systematic review with meta-analysis. BMJ Open, 7(11), e017864.

Running Head: ANALYZING PUBLISHED RESEARCH 1

ANALYZING PUBLISHED RESEARCH 6

Evidence Matrix Table

	Reference	Purpose Hypothesis Study Question	Variables Independent(I) Dependent(D)	Study Design	Sample Size and Selection	Data Collection Methods	Major Findings
1	Growdon, M., Shorr, R., & Inouye, S. (2017). The tension between promoting mobility and preventing falls	What causes high tensions related to falls when older patients are hospitalized?	D-fall among older patients I-Mobility	qualitative	N-11 Credible published case studies from secondary data	Cluster randomized trials	There is always high tension when older patients are hospitalized. The authors recommend promoting mobility.
2	Slade, S., Carey, D., Hill, A., & Morris, M. (2017). Effects of prevention interventions on falls outcomes for hospitalized adults: protocol for a systematic review with meta-analysis.	How do the existing fall intervention strategies impact the outcomes of prevention among the elderly?	D-falls outcomes I-prevention strategies	qualitative	N-20 Research was conducted on patients above 21 years.	Randomized control Trial	The current prevention strategies are not effective in curbing falls from immobility, there is need to first identify risks.