Module 5:Nursing Study that Examines the Effects of an Intervention

Instructions: Assignment: #6 

• Locate a nursing study that examines the effects of an intervention. Provide a summary of the study, focusing primarily on the intervention. Was the development and implementation of the intervention described in detail? Based on a theoretical framework? Did the design of the study promote investigation of the effects of the study---for example, was there comparison of experimental and control groups? Were there variables that could have impacted the findings that were not part of the intervention? Was there evidence of efforts to monitor the safety of participants? Are there any ways that the study could have been improved?
• Locate a nursing study that utilizes some aspect of the internet (for instance, for recruitment, delivery of an intervention, or completing online assessments. What challenges did the researchers face, and how were these challenges overcome (or not)? How could future research efforts be improved?
• Using your computer’s office tools, develop a pie, bar, or plot chart to represent the following population estimates:

Population                         Percentage

European American                20

African American                    30

Native American                  20

Hispanic American                  30

Student’s Name

Institution of Affiliation
Assignment #6

Part A: A Nursing Study that Examines the Effects of an Intervention.

Summary

The study on "The effect of education on compassion fatigue as experienced by staff nurses" by Zehr (2015) focused on the challenges faced by nurses and how educational programs can help in combating compassion fatigue and burnout. The purpose of the study was to develop and implement an evidence-based educational program as an intervention to elevate the awareness concerning compassion fatigue risks, symptoms, and mechanisms of coping. The educational program proved to be efficient in reducing compassion fatigue and helping nurses cope with the risk associated with compassion fatigue and burnout.

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Development and Implementation of the Intervention

The authors carefully described the development and implementation of educational intervention in detail. The intervention was developed and implemented to assist nurses working in acute care settings who are exposed to disturbing patient circumstances such as death, trauma, chronic diseases, or even abuse. These experiences are what are referred to as compassion fatigue, and some of the symptoms incorporate tiredness, short attention span, and headache. This intervention was guided by Jean Watson's Theory of Transpersonal Caring. Education was designed to happen on a face-to-face basis with participants who are registered nurses working in oncology settings to reduce the levels of compassion fatigue. The intervention included a PowerPoint presentation presented to medical-surgical staff nurses working at a 526-ed level II trauma center in Northern Indiana. 

Research Design and Theoretical Framework

Based on the theoretical framework, the design of the study promoted investigation. For instance, the theory postulates that it is when nurses incorporate caring and love in their practice and work and their lives that they can discover and affirm that nursing, like teaching, is more than just a career; but also a life-giving and life receiving job for a lifetime of development and learning. Based on the theoretical framework, the design of the study prompted investigations into the cause of compassion fatigue and burnout. It promoted the implementation of the education model as an intervention. The theory was used to guide the educational program. The evaluation criteria included the use of the Personal Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL-V), which measures secondary traumatic stress, compassion satisfaction, and burnout. Watson's theory encourages nurses to experiment with transpersonal caring to identify the moments when healing can happen.

Comparison of Experimental and Control Groups

The study included three quasi-experimental studies to assess a "compassion fatigue resilience training program" to decrease compassion fatigue among oncology nurses. The experimental group was compared with the control group within subgroups of varying ages, years of practice, educational background, and employment status. However, there were not variables that were not part of the intervention that could have impacted the findings.

Efforts to Monitor the Safety of Participants

The project manager guiding the study ensured that all principles concerning all research that involved human subjects were adhered to for the protection of human subjects. The researcher also obtained informed consent from the participants before the Internal Review Board of Valparaiso University and IRB Hospital X. Besides, confidentiality was maintained by instructing all the participants not to write their names on the demographic information sheet and each ProQOL-V scale. Additionally, all the data collected were kept secure in the residence of the project manager, which could not be accessed y any unauthorized person.

Ways to Improve the Study

The study could be improved by incorporating data about the problem and including the internal data and data from staff and patients as well as external data from benchmark comparisons and make them part of the assessment for practice change. The study could also include a team that organizes the change process because the team would begin linking potential intervention alternatives to find a solution to the problem. Besides, the study could be improved if the problem was organized into a PICOT question.

Part B: A Nursing Study That Utilizes Some Aspect of the Internet

The study on "Nurse-moderated internet-based support for new mothers: non-inferiority, randomized controlled trial" by Sawyer et al. (2017) used internet-based interventions that were moderated by community nurses to improve the support provided to new mothers, many of who often make extensive utilization of the internet to find information concerning infant care. During their study, the researchers faced several challenges that could potentially impact the findings.

Challenges Faced

One of the biggest challenges was the lack of evidence from population-based randomized controlled trials. The lack of such evidence made it difficult to make a comparison and come up with reliable findings. However, the researchers overcame this challenge by conducting a pragmatic, preference; non-inferiority randomized control trial and recruited participants from mothers who were contacted for their personal health assessment that is provided to all mothers in South Australia. Another challenge was including participating mothers from the somewhat more socially advantaged group. However, they handled this challenge by counterchecking with the Australian Bureau of Statistics, which showed that 42 percent of Australian women aged between 25 and 34 have obtained University degrees as compared to the 51 percent of the participants in the study, implying that the participants may not have been significantly advantaged than the general female population.

Improving Future Research

Future research can be enhanced by performing a cost-effective analysis, which was outside the manuscript of the study.

References

Sawyer, M. G., Reece, C. E., Bowering, K., Jeffs, D., Sawyer, A. C., Mittinty, M., & Lynch, J. W. (2017). Nurse-moderated internet-based support for new mothers: non-inferiority, randomized controlled trial. Journal of medical Internet research, 19(7), e258.

Zehr, K. L. (2015). The effect of education on compassion fatigue as experienced by staff nurses.