Critiquing a Research Article

A STUDY OF NURSES’ PERCEPTIONS AND EXPERIENCES IN PROVIDING

PSYCHOLOGICAL CARE TO BURN PATIENTS DURING THE RECOVERY
PHASE.

1. TITLE DOES THE TITLE ACCURATELY DESCRIBE THE PROJECT?

The title is concise and describes the focus of the research itself. While it clearly
indicates what the purpose was, it could be clearer and more indicative of the nature of
the study. The nature of the research in setting out to examine the perceptions and
experiences of nurses in providing psychological care to burn patients during the recovery
suggests that this is a qualitative research proposal. The title is quite interesting to nurses
who works in the burn unit of every hospitals because they will directly relate and can also
know what other nurses in the same area perceive and experience when providing
psychological care to burn patients during the recovery period.

2. PROJECT SUMMARY
Burn injuries are a common traumatic experience which can set an enormous
amount of stress and strain on an individual’s psychological state. Due to the
improvements in emergency services and burn treatment in the past century more and
more burn survivors are required to make psychosocial adjustments to cope with their new
body image (Lawrence et al. 2006, Klein et al. 2007, Ullrich et al. 2009). There are known
support groups to aid this adjustment post hospitalization however literature demonstrates
the lack of research into the psychological care provided by nurses during the patient’s
recovery period in hospital. Thus the research question “What are nurses’ perceptions and
experience of providing psychological care for burn victims?” was developed. I believe that
this research was proposed to empower nurses in giving appropriate psychological care
on burn patients during their recovery phase to cope up on their disabilities concerning
their new body image wherein they might look forward to feel a stigma from the people
on their environment. Also, in exploring nurses’ perception and experiences of providing
psychological care, the researchers can identify areas of psychological care which can be
improved or develop to enhance the quality of practice.
Well, the project summary of this research proposal is specific and easily
understood. However, it should have been better if a literature about the perceptions and
experiences of burn patients will also be included so that the nurses will also know the
feelings and emotions of the patients thus the nurses will know what kind of therapeutic
and psychological care they will be giving.
3. PROJECT NARRATIVE

The authors did not state a hypothesis instead, they presented a research question
“What are Nurses perceptions and experiences of providing psychological care for burn
victims?”. The nature of this statement strongly suggests that this not an experimental
study but a qualitative study instead.

From the review of available literature it is evident that more emphasis should be
related to the patients’ psychological state while hospitalised following a burn injury. It is
one of nurses’ roles to provide optimal care for all patients in a holistic 15 manner. Thus
the researcher proposes a study to investigate nurses’ perceptions and experiences of
providing psychological care to burn patients.

According to Parahoo (2006) the design selected for research proposal should be
the one most suited so as to achieve an answer to the proposed research question. For
the purpose of the proposed research question, I strongly agree when the researchers
has chosen to carry out a descriptive qualitative research design in the hopes to explore
nurses’ perceptions and experiences of the psychological care they provide to their burn
patients. Qualitative research is a systematic, subjective approach to describe life
experiences and give them meaning. Qualitative studies allow researchers to explore
behaviours, perspectives, feelings, and experiences in depth, quality and complexity of a
situation through a holistic framework

Well, the researchers intends to acquire a purposive sample by recruiting nursing

staff from a regional burn unit of a University-teaching hospital. Though they only have a
small selective sample for the study, advantage will be derived because small selective
sample allows the researchers to do in-depth study and analysis. The researchers also
developed criteria of which they will choose their samples. The small selective sample is
only limited to 8 respondents which are registered nurses with minimum of three years
work experience in the burn unit so as to obtain the opinions of those most experiences
and exposed to this area of care.

Data collection procedures are adequately described in the study. However, there
is no indication who administered the one round of open ended, semi-structured and in-
depth interviews. The issue of researcher bias is important in the completion of data
collection tools, and while interviews may be considered a way of avoiding this, if they are
remotely administered, it is not always possible to check whether they are full, or honest,
or completed by the intended target. Having the researchers do the interview and having
known by the participants that they were into a research study, there is a high risk that
there will be bias or influence of some kind, particularly in vulnerable participants. As these
are vulnerable adults attending hospital for their condition, not discussing how the data
was collected from them is a serious failing and may also constitute an ethical issue.

Also, it was stated in their study that the researchers are novice and their lack of
experience will contribute to the limitations of the study.
 The duration of 15 months for this study is quite very long considering the number
of participants of the study. I would suggest to limit their time scale to a maximum of 12
months.

4. BUDGET AND BUDGET JUSTIFICATION

According to the study, the budget allocated is £1,100 (Euro) which when
converted to Philippine peso 66,501. It’s a big amount when converted in PHP but when
I searched from the internet the value on £1,100 for a research study from a novice, it
suggested that it was just enough for the study so I believe the amount of money
requested seem commensurate with the work to be performed and the assumptions
made about the costs seem reasonable and prudent.

5. FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT

The researches will make use of Dictaphone with batteries and audiotape to
conduct their interviews with the patient. They will also make use of their phones to get
an update from the burn unit when their schedules are not jiving to each other. Also,
internet is needed to search facts and literatures related to their study and to read similar
studies wherein they can get ideas so that they can produce a credible and accurate
research study. They will be going to a library facility for reading purposes and to
strengthen their study. They’ll use a computer along with a printer to produce a hard
copy of their study.

6. FINAL THOUGHTS
I do believe that the main strength of the proposal is the researcher’s
determination to encourage new and improved nursing practice be developed and
delivered in burn units nationwide and globally. However, strengths will always be
accompanied by weaknesses and the weakness that I am fore sighting in this proposal is
the bias that will be observed during the conduct of the interview. Well, it cannot be
prevented but I do hope it will not cause a drastic effect on the results and findings of the
study.
So at this juncture, I would just want to commend the researches though they’re
still a novice, for they’ve produced a good research proposal and it didn’t give me a lot of
hard time in critiquing it.