N3340 Ways of Knowing: Data Analysis

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The one thing the researcher should do differently to improve their study is credibility. Credibility refers the findings reflect the actual lived experience of the participants. High credibility is achieved by designing the study in an unbiased way and by building a trustworthy atmosphere to assure that participants act in a way that they usually would. So, bringing back the result of the study to participant to check will increase the credibility of the research. The member checking allows the researcher identifies any discrepancy with their findings and the participants lived experience.

Nursing implications

The nurse’s main goal is to help improve and maintain the patient’s present level of health and prevent any emotional or physical deterioration. Nurses can help encourage elderly patients with a disability or disease to take control of their life and become involved in their decision-making and pain management. Nurses also need to have a holistic understanding of the effects of illness on a patient’s physical, social, emotional and spiritual well-being. Thus, requiring nurses to draw upon their knowledge and skills because each client responds differently to illness and coping. The nurse could help build on a patient’s existing coping strategies or help educate new strategies for coping if needed. This could be done through trying to be optimistic about outcomes, social support use, spiritual resource referral, maintaining control over situations and trying to accept the situation. Also, educating the patient about their state of health and their understanding about their situation; giving them teachings and hope about how to deal with a situation.

These finding could be applicable to nursing practice because a patient’s coping abilities could affect their overall health. Patients with poor coping abilities are not only affected emotionally but at an increased risk for depression, injury, death or suicide (Singh & Misra, 2009). For example in the article there were participants that had resigned acceptance, some stated that they did not have a life worth living and wanted to die (Birkeland & Natvig, 2009). Patients with effective coping skills are motivated for their health, are able to handle challenges, better sleeping patterns and better overall health (Reachout, n.d.). As a nurse it is important to talk to the patient about their frustrations, angers and fears to help alleviate the sense of helplessness and vulnerability. The nurse should continuously assess the patient’s coping strategies because poor coping skills have a great effect on quality of life and pain management (lee, 2005). By assessing the patient’s level of coping and acceptance the nurse could assess their readiness to learn and change. The nurse could help encourage and plan with the patient a new rhythm to help them enjoy themselves, and find a way to live. When nurses display negative attitudes to their patients with diseases or disability it could affect the way they cope with problems and thoughts about themselves (lee, 2005). Not only does the nurse need to change their attitude however, they need to have continuous interaction with their patient and provide them with education about self-care management (Lee, 2005). In addition, this research paper has aimed at exploring the participant’s perceptions and experiences about their living conditions, which, identifies the gap between the overburdened service of our healthcare system and the growing needs of the aging population.

Reference:

Birkeland, A., & Natvig, G. K. (2009). Coping with ageing and failing health: A qualitative study among elderly living alone. International Journal of Nursing Practice, 15(4), 257-264. doi:10.1111/j.1440-172X.2009.01754.x

Gläser, J., & Laudel, G. (2013). Life with and without coding: Two methods for early-stage data analysis in qualitative research aiming at causal explanations. Forum : Qualitative Social Research, 14(2) Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1356976111?accountid=15115

Houghton, C., Casey, D., Shaw, D., & Murphy, K. (2013). Rigour in qualitative case-study research. Nurse Researcher, 20(4), 12-7. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1317920491?accountid=15115

Ibrahim, N., & Edgley, A. (2015). Embedding researcher's reflexive accounts within the analysis of a semi-structured qualitative interview. The Qualitative Report, 20(10), 1671-1681. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1734382064?accountid=15115

Lee, A. (2005). Coping with disease (pp. 100-120). New York: Nova Biomedical Books.

LoBiondo-Wood, G., Haber, J., Cameron, C., & Singh, M.D. (2013). Nursing research in Canada: methods, critical appraisal, and utilization (3rd Canadian ed.). Toronto, ON: Elsevier Mosby.

Sadler, G. R., Lee, H.C., Seung-Hwan Lim, R., & Fullerton, J. (2010). Recruiting hard-to-reach United States population sub-groups via adaptations of snowball sampling strategy. Nursing & Health Sciences, 12(3), 369–374. http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1442-2018.2010.00541.x

Salkind, N. J. (Ed.). (2010). Encyclopedia of research design. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. doi: http://dx.doi.org.proxy1.lib.uwo.ca/10.4135/9781412961288

Singh, A., & Misra, N. (2009). Loneliness, depression and sociability in old age. Industrial Psychiatry Journal, 18(1), 51–55. http://doi.org/10.4103/0972-6748.57861