Study Design
The project is devoted to the investigation of negative drug outcomes among elderly people as they could be related to a risk group. The importance of the given question comes from the increased number of available medications (Pretorius, Gataric, Swedlund, & Miller, 2013). For this reason, there is a great need for the improvement of the situation in the given sphere. Given that, the research revolves around the effects education program for nurses, and direct risk-enlightenment of the health literature have on older adults (Lindquist et al., 2012). Considering the given question, a quasi-experimental study design is chosen to evaluate the positive impact of these interventions and make certain conclusions. Nursing teams and elderly patients with poor health literacy are chosen as the main target groups. Their peculiarities result in the absence of the need for randomized subjects. In this regard, a quasi-experimental study design is expected to be the most efficient in this environment.
Setting/Sample
As stated above, there are two main groups of participants that will be investigated. The first group is comprised of patients who are to communicate with educated nurses to improve their health literacy and minimize risks of adverse drug effects. The second group will consist of poorly-informed elderly patients provided with specific brochures on harmful medication outcomes. All patients will be chosen from local hospitals characterized by similar conditions and statistics related to the negative impact of drugs on elderly people. Considering the fact that participants will be chosen from local hospitals, the sampling of convenience is chosen. It is expected that the given sampling method will contribute to the collection of relevant data related to patients outcomes and contribute to the increased credibility of findings (LoBiondo-Wood & Haber, 2013). Moreover, it is also preconditioned by the study design and its peculiarities.
Confidentiality
The anonymity of all participants who take part in the research will obviously be protected. In case they agree to take part in the project, their participation will remain confidential. When collecting statistics related to patients outcomes, their names will not be recorded and used to do harm to them. All responses obtained either through the survey, direct interview, or statistical analysis will be used only for the given research. One perfectly realizes the fact that anonymity is one of the key aspects that should be given attention in the course of the study that implies numerous ethical concerns (LoBiondo-Wood & Haber, 2013). Drug abuse or negative effects that might appear in the course of treatment is a controversial issue that should be addressed carefully. For this reason, every participant should be guaranteed anonymity.
Procedures
Thus, there are several procedures and interventions that should be implemented to collect the needed data. First, all participants of the study should be separated into two groups considering the method used to improve the situation in the sphere. Patients with poor health literacy provided with brochures on adverse side effects of drug use would belong to the first group. At the same time, patients who are assisted by nurses and specific education programs on drugs will comprise the second group. These groups showings at the beginning of the course should be recorded and serve as a landmark to compare the results obtained in the course of the experiment. Moreover, data should also be collected in the middle and at the end of the research to determine the short and long-time effects of the above-mentioned interventions.
Instruments
Considering the peculiarities of the interventions, the following instruments could be suggested. First of all, to measure the changes, statistical data analysis is needed. Its exploration will help to trace the alterations in outcomes caused by one or another method. Moreover, to compare the efficiency of the suggested interventions. The improvement of the situation in contrast with the initial showings should be analyzed. Furthermore, minding the fact that the research implies personal and numerical information, the mixed design should be suggested. It means that patients impressions and personal attitudes related to the character and impact of the interventions, as well as objective statistical data, should be collected and processed.
Data Collection
There are several ways in which we expect to collect the needed data. First of all, a specific survey should be designed. The main aim of this paper is to collect personal data related to the suggested methods and their expectations about the income. The survey should be suggested at the beginning and at the end of the study to compare patients expectations, attitudes, and overall impressions. Additionally, to collect the statistical data needed to make a final conclusion about the efficiency of one or another approach, medical recordings should be analyzed. Moreover, the investigation of the main outcomes prior to the planned intervention should also be performed to record it and use it as the main landmark that will help to determine the impact these interventions have on patients.
Conclusion
Altogether, the usage of a quasi-experimental approach along with the mixed method to collect data could be suggested as an efficient way to conduct the given study and determine the efficiency of the above-mentioned interventions and provide recommendations about their further implementation and exploration.
References
Pretorius, R., Gataric, G., Swedlund, S., & Miller, J. (2013). Reducing the risk of adverse drug events in older adults. Am Fam Physician, 87(5), 331-336.
Lindquist, L. A., Go, L., Fleisher, J., Jain, N., Friesema, E., & Baker, D. W. (2012). Relationship of health literacy to intentional and unintentional non-adherence of hospital discharge medications. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 27(2), 173-178.
LoBiondo-Wood, G., & Haber, J. (2013). Nursing research: Methods and critical appraisal for evidence-based practice. St. Louis, MO: Mosby.