Background of Study
The clinical problem that led to this study is the disproportionate effects of asthma on children around the world. According to the authors, most children struggle with asthma, especially in cases where the condition exacerbates due to failure to adhere to treatment regimens. The reasons for such exacerbations are not known. This lack of knowledge presents gaps in the management of asthma among children, hence the need to have research inquiry into the issue.
The fact that many children across the world struggle with the management of asthma, especially in cases where the condition worsens, establishes the significance of this study. According to the authors, children have more visits to primary care health providers and emergency departments for asthma-related cases as compared to adults. In addition, asthma affects over 300 million people globally, with the majority being children (Rao et al., 2017). Similarly, children show low adherence to asthma treatment strategies, which leads to increased morbidity. Therefore, these disproportionate effects of asthma on children underscore the importance of this study.
The study had three objectives. The first one was to understand the quality of life among children suffering from asthma. Secondly, the authors wanted to find out the different perceptions of patients and caregivers concerning the health condition and its control. The third objective was to trace any possible factors that cause the poor adherence to asthma control measures among the majority of children patients.
The research questions were not stated explicitly, and thus they can only be inferred from the objectives given to include:-
- What is the quality of life among children with asthma?
- What are the perceptions of patients and caregivers towards asthma?
- What are the possible causes of poor adherence to asthma control measures among children patients?
The purpose and research questions were related to the stated problem.
Method of Study
Qualitative methods used to answer the research questions were appropriate. First, the inclusion criteria focused on children between the ages of 4 and 12 years, and each had to have been diagnosed with asthma for at least six months. In total, eight children together with their caregivers were selected for the focused group discussion (Rao, Ramakrishnan, & Somashekar, 2017).
The authors identified specific perspectives from which the study was developed. For instance, the authors established that noncompliance with treatment regimens was common even in cases where caregivers were supervising care. In addition, they discussed several factors that may contribute to such noncompliance tendencies among children patients. Given that reasons for poor adherence to treatment regimens are not fully understood, the authors focused on this perspective to gain in-depth insights into the issue.
Both quantitative and qualitative studies were cited. The authors used 16 sources as reference materials that were relevant to the study. Apart from scholarly and peer-reviewed sources, the authors used other sources of literature. For instance, information from the National Center for Health Statistics data briefs was used to enrich the literature review. Some references were current, while others were older than the 5-year limit that is typically used for quantitative studies. For instance, two references were published in 2014, which was three years before this study was conducted. However, one of the studies was published in 1994.
The authors did not evaluate or indicate the weaknesses of the available studies. However, the literature review included adequate information to build a logical argument. For instance, the authors established the need to understand the causes of poor compliance among children with asthma. By understanding this phenomenon, it would be easy for health care practitioners to approach and address the problem from an evidence-based perspective.
Results of Study
The study’s findings revealed that non-compliance with treatment regimens for asthma among children patients occurs due to different reasons. First, most caregivers have limited knowledge about symptoms and the underlying causes of asthma. Therefore, this aspect affects the required adherence to the long-term treatment regimens associated with this health condition. Additionally, as children grow older, they start expressing their preferences concerning medications, which may affect adherence to treatment strategies negatively.
The implications of the study findings to nursing include the importance of teaching middle school children ways of dealing with asthma responsibly. Additionally, caregivers should be taught ways of handling their children to ensure that asthmatic exacerbations are not experienced. These findings reinforce the important role of patient education in ensuring healthy communities.
The findings of this study contribute to nursing by highlighting the role that patients play in ensuring their health wellbeing. Patient-centered healthcare practices are important in promoting positive health outcomes. Therefore, these findings impact nursing practice and education. In practice, nurses should ensure that patients have proper and sufficient information concerning their health conditions. In education, nurses should be trained in how to communicate clearly and educate their patients concerning different health problems.
Ethical Considerations
The study was approved, and ethical clearance was issued by the appropriate institutional scientific committee. Additionally, the involved caregivers gave informed consent to participate in the study and have their discussions recorded. However, the authors did not mention how patient privacy was protected. There were no ethical considerations regarding the treatment. Drugs were not used, and the exercise involved collecting information concerning patterns of healthcare among children suffering from asthma.
Conclusion
The thesis statement for this study was that asthma exacerbations among children patients occur due to different reasons, including lack of proper knowledge of the health condition. The findings of this study are congruent with this thesis statement as the results support the same assertions.
The authors of this qualitative article conducted extensive research work to address the objectives of their study. The article is written according to the qualitative research methodology. The reader can easily tell the different parts of the article, including the research problem, purpose, methodology, and results. The authors also discussed their findings and gave the limitations of the study. The literature review is extensive and comprehensive, thus allowing the reader to understand the need for the study. The takeaway points that are useful in nursing practice are the importance of educating patients to take care of themselves by handling different health conditions appropriately.
The findings of this study are useful and applicable to nursing practice. By teaching patients how to deal with asthma, they take charge of their health. This strategy is applicable to nursing practice as nurses can be trained to educate their patients.
In summary, this study has availed evidence-based data on how short-term intervention measures can be used to improve patient outcomes. For instance, by using 30-minute sessions to train students and their caregivers, they were empowered to have positive impacts on their health wellbeing. Therefore, part of the knowledge gained from this study is that patients play an important role in ensuring better health outcomes.
Reference
Rao, C., Ramakrishnan, K. G., & Somashekar, A. R. (2017). Patterns of health care for children with asthma: A qualitative study. International Journal of Pediatric Research, 4(7), 446-452.