ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY ON SOCIAL ISOLATION 1

Annotated Bibliography on Social Isolation

Student’s Name

Course Name

Instructor’s Name

Date
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Annotated Bibliography: Social Isolation

Kobos, E., Szewczyk, A., Kokoszka‐Paszkot, J., & Dziedzic, B. (2021). Factors associated

with loneliness in patients with diabetes mellitus. Nursing Open, 8(1), 517-524.

Summary

The paper seeks to investigate the problem of loneliness among hospitalized diabetes

mellitus patients.

Conclusions

One of the conclusions of the study was that a significant number (20%) of hospitalized

diabetes mellitus patients experience cases of severe loneliness. Clinical nurses should pay much

attention to the problem of loneliness especially on patients with severe diabetes complications,

those who are single, less educated, and not active professionally because they are more

vulnerable. The second conclusion was that there is a need for healthcare professionals to design

educational programs that can be used as interventions in addressing the problem of loneliness in

diabetes mellitus patients.

Target Audience

The target audiences for this paper are practicing healthcare nurses and other

professionals involved in the care of patients with diabetes mellitus and their family members.

The article aims to let the people involved in the care of these patients of the problem of

loneliness and its impacts on diabetes mellitus hospitalized patients.

Relevance to Nursing Practice

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The article is relevant to the nursing practice because it creates awareness about the

problem of loneliness in diabetes mellitus hospitalized patients. The practicing nurses get to

understand the need to ensure the patients do not suffer loneliness because it can complicate the

patient's condition further and delay the recovery process.

Strengths

The first strength is that the article is well structured, with different research paper

sections properly labeled, making it easier to read and understand. Secondly, the article language

is also adapted to all the targeted audiences and does not include complicated nursing jargon. It

can easily be understood by carers and family members who are not trained nurses. Thirdly, the

title is also clear and the abstract is detailed in a way that captures the interest of the target

audience.

Limitations

One of the limitations is that the article is very short and brief and while this is good for

some target audiences, the researchers in the field might feel it lacks depth. The second limitation

is that the scope of the review of previous studies targeted some older literature (1987, 2010, and

2012) whose content might need to be updated further. The third limitation is that the title of the

paper and the aim described in the abstract seem not in tune. The title does not suggest that the

article will explore the prevalence of loneliness among diabetes mellitus patients.
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY ON SOCIAL ISOLATION 4

Rubio, M. (2019). Patient perceptions of life-limiting chronic obstructive pulmonary

disease. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 15(2), 183-188.

Summary

The article seeks to describe the experience of the disease burden associated with Chronic

Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) from the patient’s perspective.

Conclusions

One conclusion was that COPD, being a life-limiting disease diminishes the patient’s

quality of life because of them having to face the reality of their own mortality. The article also

concluded that COPD patients need supportive care which may include having conversations

about end-of-life needs and other interventions.

Target Audience

The article addresses the healthcare professionals especially the nurses caring for the

COPD patients to help them understand the severity of the burden the disease lays on the patients

and the recommended interventions to address it.

Relevance to nursing practice

The article is written from the patient’s perspective and this is relevant in nursing practice

because it enhances nurses' understanding of the burden of the disease in ways that cannot even

be diagnosed clinically. This can help in improving the quality of care given to the patient.

Strengths
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The first strength is that the article's publication details assert professional authority and

this improves its credibility to the readers. It is published in the Journal of Nurse Practitioners

and provides the author's credentials as a Ph.D. and FNP (family nurse practitioner). In

specialized fields such as nursing, the credibility of the publications based on the qualifications

of the authors is very crucial. Secondly, the article also has a detailed abstract and structure

which makes it easier for the readers to trace different sections. The structure also depicts the

professionalism employed in putting the document together. Thirdly, the article extensively

reviews previous studies which lays a strong foundation for the study.

Limitations

The first limitation is that the article contains some complicated words that are not clearly

explained and this is limiting in that not all the people involved in caring for the patient may

understand. Some explanations of the technical terms can be helpful. Secondly, in the body of the

article, the separation between the theoretical review and empirical review is not clear, and this

can be a struggle for the target audience to trace. The third limitation is that in providing a

description of the previous studies, the article does not describe where the studies were carried

out and how it was carried out.

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY ON SOCIAL ISOLATION 6

Nortvedt, L., Lohne, V., Kumar, B. N., & Hansen, H. P. (2016). A Lonely Life—A qualitative

study of immigrant women on long-term sick leave in Norway. International Journal

of Nursing Studies, 54, 54-64.

Summary

The article aims to investigate the plight of immigrant women who are in Norway on

extended sick leave because of chronic pain, how they experience the illness, and their

connection with their families and workplaces.

Conclusions

The article concluded that the women who are on long-term sick leave face challenges

related to the disease itself, and also experiencing loneliness at home and in their workplaces.

The other conclusion was that the rejection these women face at home and workplace makes it

hard for them to share their challenges with anyone and this leads to extended sick leave and

more isolation.

Target Audience

The article targets different groups of people including healthcare professionals, the

family and kin of the patients, and the concerned persons at their workplaces. The goal is to

create awareness about the predicaments of immigrant women on long-term sick leave in

Norway.
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Relevance to nursing practice

The article provides information that is relevant to practicing nursing in caring for

immigrant women who are on long-term sick leave in Norway. Understanding the problem they

face is critical in designing care strategies to improve the quality of care.

Strengths

The first strength is that the article provides information on the authors and their

credentials as authorities in the nursing field. This is important for the targeted reader to assess

the credibility and authority of the research. Secondly, the abstract is detailed describing clearly

all the sections of the article in brief and this helps capture the interest of the target readers.

Thirdly, the article is of adequate length which also to professional readers speaks to the depth of

the study.

Limitations

The first limitation is that the article looks disproportional with the literature review

being a bit brief. More details in the section would add to the credibility and authority of the

article. Secondly, the article is also a long read and this may pose a challenge to some readers.

Thirdly, the objectives of the study are not properly framed in a way that shows they are specific,

measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound. They need to be refined.

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY ON SOCIAL ISOLATION 8

References

Kobos, E., Szewczyk, A., Kokoszka‐Paszkot, J., & Dziedzic, B. (2021). Factors associated

with loneliness in patients with diabetes mellitus. Nursing Open, 8(1), 517-524.

Rubio, M. (2019). Patient perceptions of life-limiting chronic obstructive pulmonary

disease. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 15(2), 183-188.

Nortvedt, L., Lohne, V., Kumar, B. N., & Hansen, H. P. (2016). A Lonely Life—A qualitative

study of immigrant women on long-term sick leave in Norway. International Journal

of Nursing Studies, 54, 54-64.