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Interpretation of Results

Student name

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August 4, 2019
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Interpretation of Results

Introduction

The study by Ercan-Sahin and NuranEmiroglu, (2018), sought to establish the impact of

reminiscence therapy as a means of improving quality of life (QOL) among elderly residents of a

nursing home. The second article by Chover-Sierra and Martínez-Sabater (2018), involved an

investigation on the use of social networks for data collection in research studies among Spanish

nurses. The purpose of this paper is to review the two research articles with a focus on

interpreting the findings. From the first study article, (Ercan-Sahin & NuranEmiroglu, 2018), the

author will analyze the investigators’ description of the various interventions in connection with

the provided frameworks. Also, the design of the study in promoting the investigation of the

treatment will be assessed and any confounding variables identified. Further, the paper will look

into the researchers’ efforts in monitoring the safety of the respondents and give

recommendations on ways to improve the study. From the second article, the writer will outline

the challenges faced by the researchers and how they were overcome. Lastly, the writer will

provide strategies through which future research efforts can be enhanced.

Nursing Intervention

The study by Ercan-Sahin and NuranEmiroglu (2018) aimed to establish the effect of

reminiscence therapy as a way of improving quality of life (QOL) among nursing home residents.

The research involved 32 participants aged 65 years and above. To be included in the

investigation, respondents had to have the ability to communicate, no hearing problems, no

dementia, or other mental disorders, and be willing to take part in the study. The investigation

centered on six domains including sensory abilities, past, present, and future activities, autonomy,

social participation, intimacy, and death and dying.

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First, the respondents received information regarding the study and the QOL scale. They

were then given questionnaires to complete for purposes of identifying individuals who met the

inclusion criteria. The participants were then divided into 12 groups, each consisting of 2-5

people, on the basis of age, marital status, gender, and harmony as a couple. A professional with

experience in geriatric care administered the intervention, which involved a 12-session

reminiscence therapy program given for 1 hour per week. The sessions primarily focused on

bringing out the partakers’ recollections of happy times including their school days; teenage

joyful memories; married life; having the first child; enjoyable moments with kids, work-life,

and old celebrations; memorable places visited, events, people, and old items; and general

reflections.

The facilitator continuously encouraged the participants to narrate their accounts with

guiding queries given to those with trouble recalling. Respondents were advised to bring

personal items or photos related to the topics covered. They were frequently observed for

heightened anxiety and agitation during the exercise and people who were noted to recall

negative and painful memories were encouraged to focus on joyful times in the past. Conducted

in bright, quiet rooms, with favorable temperatures for the elderly, the interviews involved group

members seated around a U-shaped table. Tea and biscuits were provided during each treatment

session.

Implementation and intervention

The development and the implementation of the study were described in detail from the

way the patients were informed of the study in an attempt to seek consent to the manner in which

the intervention was executed. The authors systematically describe how they identified the

research participants before putting them into appropriate group sizes for the treatment
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administration. They also indicate the number of study sessions and the total time a patient

should receive the therapy in one week. The professional giving the therapy is also identified and

his/her roles (advising, encouraging, and observing respondents) outlined. In addition, the

components of all sessions are clearly structured for the facilitator to conduct reminiscence

therapy. However, the article does not indicate the exact time length over which the treatment

sessions were to be completed; hence, making it hard to determine the period after which the

expected effects are supposed to start showing.

Theoretical framework

The study makes use of the Nursing Interventions Classification to define the intervention

(reminiscence therapy) as a treatment modality that makes use of recall of past events, feelings,

and thoughts to facilitate pleasure, quality of life, and adaptation to the present. During the

sessions, participants were advised to recall only the happy times in their lives. To promote this,

the leader frequently monitored the individuals for signs of increased anxiety and agitation which

imply negative thoughts and encouraged them to center their thinking primarily on the joyful

moments. Besides, the respondents were required to bring memorable items such as photos that

would provoke happy recollections. The group sizes (2-5 people) were appropriate for the

facilitator to see and read the emotions of each partaker. In addition, sessions were conducted in

a well-lit, calm, and warm environment with each person being served with biscuits and tea to

promote comfort.

Effects of the study

The study by Ercan-Sahin and NuranEmiroglu (2018) applied the quasi-experimental

design where a single-group pre- and approach was employed. Since the investigation required

the partakers to review their past lives, it could trigger negative thoughts from previous traumatic
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experiences. This would have interfered with their focus on happy times which was an important

aspect of the investigation. Besides, recalling painful experiences could lead to high emotions

and destructive behavior. As a result, the leader closely examined the groups for signs of

agitation or anxiety and encouraged the members to pay attention to joyful times; thereby

making sure that everybody was safe. After the treatment, the researchers found some

improvement among the participants’ QOL, especially in the autonomy subdomain. According to

the World Health Organization QOL Old Module (WHOQOL-OLD) that was used to develop

the questionnaire, development in this aspect of QOL means that the respondents experienced

enhancements in their self-esteem, independence, freedom of choice, and overall control over

life.

Some of the confounding variables that could have affected the findings include the

worsening of the partaker’s physical/mental condition or the emergence of new diseases, which

could have impeded the provision of clear narrations at the conclusion of the test. Other factors

that could have affected the results especially during the face-to-face interviews include fatigue,

hunger, noise, and high/low temperatures. All of these possible effects were prevented by setting

up a well-lit, calm, and warm environment.

Improvements

One way in which the study could have been improved is by using a larger sample size

from several sites that would promote the generalizability of the findings to other individuals

within the population. The research by Ercan-Sahin and NuranEmiroglu (2018) involved 32

elderly respondents from a single nursing home restricting its results in representing people from

different parts of the world. In addition, the investigators did not include a control group, which
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would have minimized the effects of other factors, ensuring that the observed change in QOL

was solely due to the independent variable.

Online Data Collection

The investigation by Chover-Sierra & Martínez-Sabater (2018), was intended to achieve

three main purposes which include: (1) Assessment of the use of social networks for the data

collection in research studies; (2) Determine the level of knowledge in palliative care of the

participating nurses; and (3) Identify differences in the traditional versus social network

dissemination of questionnaires. The descriptive cross-sectional study involved 446 Spanish

registered nurses mainly working in acute tertiary institutions and primary care.

After being designed using Google Formular, the questionnaire was shared on the

internet through a link that was posted on the internet using unique hashtags (#nursing and

#palliativecare) to draw the respondents’ attention and allow access to the survey. In addition,

the study tool was posted on the walls of identified nursing-related groups from the Facebook

personal profiles of investigators. The initial message then resulted in a snowball sampling in

which partakers took part in distributing the information to other social network users. An

analysis of its diffusion was conducted manually using the statistics of the two networks

(Chover-Sierra & Martínez-Sabater, 2018).

Concurrently, a self-administered questionnaire containing the same information as the

electronic format was distributed to nurses around the world. This was after its translation into

various languages for purposes of eliminating linguistic barriers. To obtain informed consent, the

authors outlined the objectives of the exercise and formatted the feedback form in such a way

that only caregivers who selected the option “yes” to the query “do you accept to answer these

questions” would proceed with giving responses. This exercise went on for one month before the
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final evaluations were done. It was found that social platforms allow researchers to reach a high

number of respondents over a short period compared to conventional methods (Chover-Sierra &

Martínez-Sabater, 2018).

Challenges

One of the challenges associated with the use of online platforms to gather information

from the providers was having a good representation of Spanish nursing professionals. To

partake in completing the questionnaires, the respondents had to be Facebook or Twitter users,

thereby restricting those caregivers with no such accounts. Being that the use of the internet was

the inherent nature of the research, it was impossible to overcome this setback. A second

drawback encountered by the investigators pertains to tallying all the times that the research tool

was shared via the internet. Although they managed to keep records of the number of times that

the message was communicated, it must have been a tedious process. Besides, it would be

impossible to track all online activities linked to the electronic document.

Improvements

The researchers in this study seem to have poorly managed the online networks, causing

a possible distortion in the evaluations of the way the questionnaire was being disseminated. This

was primarily due to their reliance on the use of manual counting of the number of times the

information was passed across in each online platform. It is, therefore, recommended that future

similar investigations make use of software in addition to the physical tallying to promote

accuracy and evade leaving out some of the occasions where the message was shared. The

computer program would have the capability to automatically detect all impressions generated by

the post and record it for further analysis.

Conclusion
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In conclusion, when conducting research in healthcare, it is important to systematically

describe the intervention in relation to the theoretical framework. By so doing, the investigator

makes sure that his/her work is backed up by a scientifically sound methodological model. Also,

in addition to focusing on the final effects of the investigation, the interrogators should pay

attention to some of the adverse effects that might be experienced by the participants. To achieve

this, they should control any confounding variables and closely monitor all respondents for signs

of negative impacts. It is always crucial to identify any setbacks encountered and reflect on ways

through which future similar studies can be improved.

For instance, while online data collection is a quick way of obtaining information from a

large sample size, it requires proficiency in technology among participants who must have access

to social networks. The approach is also associated with difficulties in keeping records of all the

times the study tool is shared via the internet. Incorporating multiple ways of tallying the data

such as having some software in addition to physical counts would enhance the accuracy of the

information.
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References

Ercan-Sahin, N., &NuranEmiroglu, O. (2018). Quality of life of nursing home residents before

and after reminiscence therapy. Educational Gerontology, 44(2/3), 99–107.

https://doi.org/10.1080/03601277.2017.1415115

Chover-Sierra, E., & Martínez-Sabater, A. (2018). Utility of social networks and online data

collection in nursing research: Analysis of Spanish nurses’ level of knowledge about

palliative care. PLoS ONE, 13(5), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0197377