The 2002 hearings on lifespan report, prepared by Dr.Patricia A. Grady, discusses nursing research and how it helps address different health issues. “This study is an array of life span issues, starting from birth to old age” (National Institute of Heath, 2001). The report points out clearly that the best place to start healthcare is childbirth. Unfortunately, the report points out that a big number of children in the United States still die before they are one year old. The ratio is still as high as seven per thousand, an unfortunate statistic for a country ranked among the 20 most industrialized in the world. The article focuses on the importance of nursing research and how it addresses different health issues.
Research helps tackle different health challenges by influencing both private and public organizations and helping them support healthy births through diets and lifestyles. Research creates awareness of the benefits of promoting health at an early age by helping establish health information programs in schools and communities. Research testing offers intervention in cases that may not have clear solutions in place. It is also very important in managing illnesses and establishing preventive measures. Nursing research is, therefore, a very relevant part of the nursing practice and is now treated as a priority in many countries’ healthcare budgets. As a result of nursing research and all the solutions, it helps develop, healthcare costs are reduced.
This is quantitative research, with generated statistics through surveys. On the role of research on healthy births, it is established that in every 1,000 children, 7 die before they are one year old. The study involves a five-year project involving registered nurses, targeting low-income low-income pregnant women. The nurses interact with these women and help deal with their concerns. The project helped minimize the low birth-weight rate from 14% to 10.9% among the participants, an initiative that helped save $277 in medical care per pregnancy. On promoting health at an early age, the same nurses conducted research, which revealed that “7% of children between 11 and 14 years old have three of the leading risk factors for type 2 diabetes and heart disease” (National Institute of Heath, 2001). Other research projects conducted on young adults reveal that the overall national control of blood pressure disease is 40%.
The underlying purpose of this study is to promote healthy living from childbirth to old age, as well as saving on medical care. The research project on healthy births focuses on regular check-ups on expectant mothers, an initiative that allows the nurse to reduce the number of children born with low birth weight. A research project to promote health at an early age focuses on reducing the risks of developing type 2 diabetes by reducing obesity. The project’s statistics reveal that 14% of adolescents in America are overweight, a situation that puts a big percentage of the population in the high-risk group category. According to the research, indicators that one is at risk include “high insulin levels, high blood pressure, and either elevated triglycerides or low high-density lipoprotein (HDL)” (National Institute of Heath, 2001). For teens and adults, a two-year study on 309 young African-American men helped them improve their blood sugar control, through constant monitoring and follow-up. To promote longevity and quality of life for the old, research aimed at determining the old patients’ needs outside the hospital and following up after they are discharged, revealed and helped reduce the recovery period by 65%. As a result, their healthcare costs were reduced by 48%. The same research reveals that caregivers play an important role in helping the old recover and stay healthy.
This study pays little attention to the treatment of the different conditions but instead focuses more on prognosis, prevention, and the role of lifestyles in achieving a more healthy population. Its implications include the establishment of avenues to save healthcare costs and have more healthy people. The research is relevant to people from all age groups, medical practitioners, and the health ministry. It is also a proof of how significant nursing research is to solving health problems, improving healthcare in the country, and minimizing costs.
Nursing Research – Making a difference
This study puts its focus on nursing research and the difference it is making in our healthcare system. According to the Nursing Institute of Nursing Research (n.d.), “advanced research discoveries have translated into direct benefits for both patients and their families”. The study describes selected research findings, selected on the basis of the type of research opportunities they offer. The study is relevant in understanding the importance of present and future investments in research and science. It is a qualitative study, focusing on behaviors, attitudes, cultures, experiences, and their influence on efforts to have a healthy population.
Concerning arthritis, the study reveals that “it is the leading cause of disability among people of Hispanic origin in the U.S, and a lack of proficiency in English limits the ability of many to take advantage of useful information” (Nursing Institute of Nursing Research, n.d.). A study conducted on the same topic reveals that community programs conducted in Spanish had better results than those conducted in English. Regarding patients leaving hospitals with different difficulties, the study reveals that a majority of them have trouble managing them in their own homes. As a result, the rate of readmission is high for people with different complications. The paper has a study on certain post-operative pain relievers and reveals that some are more effective in different sexes. For example, a study on kappa-opioids, a pain reliever used during the removal of teeth, revealed that it worked better on women than on men. The relief also lasted longer on them than it did on men under the same circumstances. Other drugs, however, eliminated the gender difference and had the same effect on both men and women. A good example is a naloxone, which was also used in the study. The research project goes to prove that there is a big relationship between sex hormones and the effectiveness of pain killers.
The relationship between pain and recovery from surgery has also been studied in this paper. “Using a rat lung tumor model, investigators demonstrated that rats provided with effective pain relief during and after surgery developed fewer lung tumors” (Nursing Institute of Nursing Research, n.d.). For disadvantaged young mothers, the study reveals that they face major social and financial challenges, factors that may hinder them from accessing proper healthcare. The project involved regular visits by registered nurses, who intervened and advised them on motherhood and other health concerns. There is a summarized study on the effects of patient immobility, nurses shortages, HIV infections among young people, low birth weight, and benefits of sleep for expectant mothers, all of which affect the nursing profession.
The purpose of this study is to identify different nursing research opportunities and how these opportunities improve the efficiency of medical care. The research project on a group of young men and the high hypertension risks they are faced with helped reduce the risk among them to a considerable level through regular follow-up and outreach. Participants in the rural environments and healthcare project were able to lower their dietary fat intake and improve their glucose control. The project also revealed that integrating health education into the curriculum will have a positive effect on reducing health risks among young people. All these projects reveal how many opportunities there are for nursing research and the benefits that would arise if they were tapped into.
The study definitely influences how nursing research is viewed and its relevance in the country’s healthcare. It also reveals how critical nurses are in achieving total health for a nation and how to do it cost-effectively. The study is relevant to people of all age groups, medical professionals, and other healthcare stakeholders. It is relevant to the policymakers, since it reveals how much damage can be avoided by investing in healthcare education and other preventive measures.
Reference list
National Institute of Heath. (2001). Fiscal Year 2002 hearings on lifespan. Web.
Nursing Institute of Nursing Research. (n.d.). Nursing Research: Making a difference. Web.