The first article under analysis – Care Seeking for Pain in Young Adults with Sickle Cell Disease – was authored by Jenerette, Brewer, and Ataga (2014). The first two are professional nurses while the last one is a doctor of medicine. The article is of recent publication and in circulation only last year. The said article is a nursing journal and published as Pain Management Nursing. This piece of the documentation describes a mixed-method pilot study.
The authors made this plain in the methodology section of the article. The study was conducted within the United States. The respondents were adult outpatients of a sickle cell clinic affiliated with a program under the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The researchers wanted to find out the average pain score of young adults with sickle cell disease or SCD that triggered the need to seek medical care. They also wanted to know the factors that made it a necessity to seek medical care in young adults with the said affliction. Information gleaned from the interview was recorded using IBM SPSS Statistics Version 19. The researchers discovered that young adults afflicted with SCD are waiting longer than they should seek medical care. They also pointed out the limitations of the study, especially with regards to the age of the respondents, and the fact that they all came from one comprehensive program. Thus, the results do not apply to any other population or clinician group.
The contents of the article did not provide enough evidence to support the PICOT question. The PICOT question seeks a deeper understanding regarding the impact of breathing exercises and opiate treatment on pain management. This article did not discuss any type of breathing exercise. No information may have enlightened readers with regards to the use of opiates in the context of pain management. This discovery may lead to the creation of a new PICOT question.
The second article under analysis – Adults with Sickle Cell Disease: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Home Care and Self-Care Management with a Case Study – was authored by Lee, Askew, Walker, Stephen, and Robertson-Artwork. The first four are professional nurses, while the last one is an IT specialist. The second article was published in 2012. The said publication also falls under the category of the nursing journal and carries the name, Home Healthcare Nurse.
The said article described a case study type of research design. The authors made this clear in the title of the article. There were also details about the case study of the struggles and coping mechanisms employed by a patient named Ben Y. Not enough information was given to help ascertain the location from where the research was conducted. However, correspondence with the lead researcher was directed to the University of Mississippi Medical Center. The said article provided detailed background information regarding the nature of SCD. It also includes a discussion on the unnecessary medical expenses shouldered by patients with SCD.
Unnecessary expenses are linked to repeated use of emergency department care. Aside from the medical expenses associated with ED care, the said researchers also found it problematic that healthcare providers usually respond with inadequate pain control methods due to the failure to understand the nature of pain management in the context of patients suffering from the symptoms of SCD. As a consequence, the researchers wanted to find out an alternative intervention strategy, one that limits the use of ED care. They believed that to accomplish this goal, it is imperative to strengthen the capability of home healthcare nurses, not only in the reduction of pain episodes, but also in the management of complications, such as renal failure, cardiovascular problems, and pulmonary diseases.
This article provided an overview of the use of opioids and breathing exercises as pain management strategies. These are relevant to answering the PICOT question.
References
Jenerette, C., Brewer, C., & Ataga, K. (2012). Care Seeking for Pain in Young Adults With Sickle Cell Disease. Pain Management Nursing 15(1), 324-330.
Lee, L., Askew, R., Walker, J., Stephen, J., & Robertson-Artwork, A. (2012). Adults with Sickle Cell Disease: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Home Care, and Self-Care Management with a Case Study. Home Healthcare Nurse 30(3), 172-183.