Give a summary and ethical considerations  in either the qualitative or quantitative study…………………………

 

Introduction

Key words such as choice, concordance, shared decision making are concurrently applied in the management of chronic illness in many parts of developed countries. Most patients prefer delegating treatment responsibilities to their doctors but doctors on the other hand prefer a more collaborative approach. Patients often feel in control of their lives once they have sufficient information which helps them recognize treatments and their side effects. In the 80s a qualitative research was conducted and results showed that information about the illness is lacking and people’s experience on epilepsy is vague. People had contradicting opinions about seizures and strategies of management. However in the 90s, studies were conducted using questionnaires which revealed that epileptic people lacked knowledge about the condition and instead for more information about it. They wanted information that dwelled on treatment options, seizure control, social issues, medication, injury prevention, lifestyle, side effect and diagnosis. A UK survey discovered that as patient satisfaction increased there was a decrease in information provision about the epileptic condition.

Background of study

Episodes of epilepsy are considered to have the preferred treatment yet there is no definite information on how patients would get the right medication. People come up with reasons why they do not opt for epilepsy emergency care. Some claim that economic, personal and social reasons are among the factors that hinder them to receive ongoing medical attention. This qualitative study is aimed at understanding why most people in this state insist for more information about their condition. Therefore, it will assist in identifying possible factors which may help to modify the situation.

The key hypothesis lies on the reasons why most patients with epilepsy insist for epileptic information People want to be aware about the causes of epilepsy because they develop fear attached to stigmatization and abrupt deaths. Such information is significant to nursing because it will help nurses “focus on the patient’s feelings, meanings and experiences” (Bowling, et al, 2002, pg. 102) and patients will develop the freedom to express their views and opinions about the severance of their conditions. Therefore, nurses will be in a better position to know how to handle epileptic patients and consultants can be able to give proper medication.

A brief summary of the qualitative research article titled “Many people with Epilepsy want to know more: a qualitative study” (Alison, Andrew, Ann & Suman, 2004) will be the main focus of this paper. A qualitative study reveals reasons why people insist for more information unlike a quantitative study which only provides the number of people who require certain information.

Researchers preferred to use a grounded theory research design because it is based in the observations or data from which the study was developed and a number of sources such as review of interviews, surveys were used alongside it. Researchers invited people from across the UK border to participate in the qualitative research study on individual’s experiences of the epileptic condition. Approval was done by the Multiple Research Ethics Committee and the AM and AH acted as the co-founders of DIPEx steering group and AC.Sir Siegmund Warburg’s Voluntary Settlement and the Welton Foundation took part in funding this qualitative study. Patients were assured of maximum protection upon disclosure of their personal medical information and researchers found to violate such rules would be fined at a fee or penalized from conducting prior studies. The most important ethical considerations during this study were based on the freedom from harm and rights of human subjects. Assurance comes only through an informed consent that explains the objectives of the study and that which declares the participants’ right to deny or agree to give out the required information (Fowler and Chevannes, 2002).All participants provided informed consent before the interviews were conducted and posted on the DIPEx website. Patients were assured of privacy of their personal information. Out of 38 men and women interviewed, 35 of them had epilepsy while 3 of them were carer of epilepsy patients.

They were enrolled through support groups, neurologists’ charities and GPs.Those who assisted in recruiting patients were given information about the project. Potential participants were given” packs” which constituted of an introductory letter, a reply slip, a patient information sheet and an addressed envelope that was readily stamped. Those who volunteered to participate in the interview made arrangements with the researcher who showed them the website and further discussed the project before conducting the interviews. Interviews were audio-taped and they lapsed for about one to three hours. Later on participants received verifications and reviews after the taped audio and video were transcribed. To include people from social backgrounds a maximum variation sample was used.

There was frequent revisiting of recorded interviews to ensure that no vital information was being left out. This activity gave rise to the bridging of ideas and themes abstracted from the concepts found in the study.

Results

Results indicated that people with epilepsy usually get information about the condition from consultants, health professionals, websites, epilepsy organizations and books which talk about the condition. However, these information proved not to be enough because people still demanded to know more about treatment options, the merits and demerits of different drugs, the root cause of epilepsy and the stigma attached to it. Findings also showed that patients had medical needs that were not fully met from the consultants who were at times busy to finalize appointments and that there was a drastic change in drugs which people were not aware of. Those who were recruited from support groups had no idea about the causes of epilepsy and where to get proper medication or treatment. Majority of the participants demanded to know the reasons behind change of epileptic drugs. Others were concerned about the side effects and how the drugs would affect them over along period. They complained of severe side effects in relation to memory loss and collapse of the body system. Findings of this study showed that information is power and is important in any individuals’ life. Information breeds knowledge which can be used by people to make the right choices and decisions in life. Data showed that many people were kept in the dark because they were not made aware of the changes or discoveries in the medical field. People will be satisfied once they are provided with the right information at the right time. Information needs to be accurate, timely and accessible so that it can achieve its purpose.

The result of this study provides nurses the first step in establishing a framework for self-actualization and re-examining their attitudes towards patients’ demands for information. Through this they can access interventions and search for new ways of meeting patients’needs.This can be done through organizing seminars and workshops that talk about the topic on epilepsy. Such forum gives people with epilepsy the confidence to air out their views about their condition and their quest for more information. Detailed discussions about the root causes of epilepsy can also be adddressesd so that fears and stigma among individuals are minimized. In case of any changes in the medical field that deals with medications and drugs, nurses can be provided with the first hand information and seek interventions on how to alert the patients.

References

Ann, A.,Andrew,H.,Alison,C & Suman,P.(2004).Many people with Epilepsy want to know more: a qualitative study.Vol.22 Issue 4 (p435-441).Retrieved from http://www.fampra.oxfordjournals.org/search?

Bowling, A. (2002) Research Methods in Health: Investigating Health and Health Services (2^nd Ed). Buckingham: Open University Press.

Fowler, J., Jarvis, P.& Chevannes, M.(2002), Practical Statistics for Nursing and Health Care. John Wiley & Sons: England.

 

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