People with Multiple Sclerosis and Their Perception of Physiotherapy - Essay Example

? Critique of a Research Paper Wanderson Alves Critique of a Research Paper “Participant perceptions of a novel physiotherapy approach (Blue Prescription) for increasing levels of physical activity in people with multiple sclerosis: a qualitative study following intervention” 1. Title The title of the research clearly states who and what is being studied, i.e. the people with multiple sclerosis (PWMS) and their perception of novel physiotherapy. The type of study, i.e. qualitative, is also mentioned. Overall it can be said that the title is succinct and accurate, mentioning the topic, sample, and type of study. However, the title is somewhat misleading as it mentions that a ‘novel’ physiotherapy approach is being used which is not entirely true. Previous studies have studied the benefits of physical activity (PA) for PWMS, such as the Green Prescription, which has also been mentioned by the researchers. 2. Abstract 126 An abstract is a “concise summary” of a relatively large project, and it much contain certain specific information regarding the project, such as the content, scope, objective, methodology, findings, and conclusion (Locker, 1997; Wrinkler and Metherel1, 2011). Considering that a good abstract must include the aforementioned points, it can be said that the researchers have written a good abstract and it provides concise information about each of these points. The abstract includes titles of purpose, methods, results, and conclusion. The purpose mentions the objectives of the study while clear and concise information about the method is also mentioned. The variables studied and additional variables (themes) discovered in the research are also mentioned. The future implications of the study and keywords are also present in the abstract. 3. Introduction and aims/objectives 188 According to Greenhalgh (2001), an introduction must provide complete and clear information about the research topic and build the base for research aims and hypothesis. The purpose of writing an introduction is not just to introduce the research topic and objectives but to “establishes the context of the entire research paper” and convince research questions are both relevant and interesting (Haisler, 2011, p. 40). The researchers are quick to engage the readers in the topic as they discuss the difficulties faced by people with chronic health conditions and then narrow is down to MS. The introduction is nicely built and gives maximum information in minimum word count. The rationale provided by the researchers is based on empirical evidence showing the importance of physical exercise for PWMS and its role in maintaining health and preventing disability. The study has a single research aim which is very realistic and in confirmation with the study topic. Three additional research questions are stated in the introduction, which are complementary to the research aim as they provide a deeper analysis of topic under study. 4. Literature Review The aim of a literature review is to provide a “critical account of literature in a particular area in order to demonstrates why a new research study is required” (Aveyard, 2010, p. 1). The researchers provided a detailed account of the previous studies and a total 25 studies have been used of which 2 were ten years old while the rest of the findings are quite recent. The researchers also made use of international literature from World Health Organization and the U.S. department of health and human services further validating the literature. They made it a point to include all the operational definitions of the variables being studied and have also provided an explanation of why the term “Blue Prescription” has been used for the intervention (colour of physiotherapy uniform). They have clearly explained the gap in literature, i.e. the short comings of the “Green Prescription” scheme, i.e. use of telephone calls and community group support to motivate the participants, and based on that, additional strategies are added by the researchers, i.e. experienced community-based physiotherapists. The only shortcoming of the study was the lack of local literature explaining the situation on a national level. In this regard, the previous researches were merely explained in the research without much critical appraisal of the secondary data. 5. Methods 5.1 Study Approach Though it is clearly mentioned in the research that a qualitative method is being used, the approach used has not been mentioned. A phenomenological approach is defined as a study which “describes the meaning of the lived experience for several individuals about a concept of phenomenon” describing the experiences as they are (Creswell, 2003). Keeping in mind this definition, it can be said that this approach has been adopted by the researchers. Making use of a qualitative method has its own advantage as it allows the researcher to answer “questions of meaning” and develop a deeper understanding of the topic (Nicholls, 2011, p. 3). The main disadvantage of the adopted research method is that it is based on subjective understanding which decreases the validity of the findings (Moriarty, 2011; Keele, 2010). 5.2 Sampling 202 It is mentioned in the research that a sample of 27 participants with MS is selected over a three-month intervention period. The sample is selected after the pilot study in which the feasibility of the blue prescription intervention is checked. The researchers have presented the demographics in Table-II. However, some very important details, such as the social class, income group, and marital status of the participants have been ignored even though they have the capability to influence the behaviour of the participants to a great extent. The researchers have not specified which method was used to recruit the sample nor has the inclusion or exclusion criteria been mentioned. Considering that the research targets PWMS, it can be said that a purposive sampling method has been used as it involved consciously selecting “specific elements or subjects for inclusion in a study” (Medical Dictionary, 2013). The main disadvantage of purposive sampling, also known as judgmental sampling (Babbie, 2001), is the likelihood of researcher bias in the sample selection (Macnee & McCabe, 2008). Moreover, it is hard to prove whether this type of sample is actually representative of the population. 5.3 Data Collection 163 The data was collected using semi-structured interview which included open-ended questions. The face-to-face interview approach was the most appropriate way as it allows the researcher to study the depth of meaning of what the participant is saying (Gillham, 2000; Ritchie & Lewis, 2003). All the interviews were tape-recorded and later the verbatim was transcribed with the help of professional services. Since the interviews were audio-recorded, the chance of error was minimized (Opdenakker, 2006). However, the process of transcribing is very time consuming (one hour of interview take 5-6 hours of transcribing) (Bryman, 2001). The researchers did not conduct a pilot interview, though a pilot study was conducted. The location and duration of the interview has also not been disclosed nor has it been mentioned whether or not the interview questions were specified to the participants before the interview as it would have resulted in better formulated answers. 6. Ethical Considerations 125 The only ethical consideration addressed in the study was that approval from the University of Otego Human Research Ethics Committee was obtained. They have omitted a lot of information regarding the consent and confidentiality of the participants. Given that “informed consent is the heart of ethical research” (Department of Health, 2005; O’Brian & Pipkin, 2007), they have missed out a very important detail in their research. However, the study design does not allow any physical harm to the participants. There appears to be no potential psychological harm. The research was funded by the University of Otego Research Grant. 7. Data Analysis 105 The data was analyzed using a General Inductive Approach so that the raw data could be divided into different categories indicating significant themes. No particular software was used for data analysis and the approach required multiple readings of the interview by the team members to identify common themes. The biggest advantage of this approach was that every single detail of the interview was taken in to consideration. However, the chance of researcher bias could not be eliminated because the results were dependent on the subjective interpretations. Moreover, the process appears to be time consuming (Holloway, 2005). 8. Study Results 164 The results of the study are organized and explained under different sub-headings each dealing with the themes identified in the data making it easier to understand the results. Moreover, the researchers have made use of two tables to explain the results dealing with demographics of the participants and list of themes, sub-themes, and categories identified in the data, along with an example quote by a participant, giving away plenty of information at a single glance. The example quotes provided in the table reflect true feelings of the participants and also help in understanding the theme. However, the researchers failed to acknowledge the impact of extraneous variables on the behaviours and feelings of study, for instance, the role of a spouse or other family members and socio-economic background. 9. Discussion The discussion was presented in accordance with the themes identified in the results. The claims made by the researchers about their findings were credible as they provided support of both primary and secondary research (Winkler & Metherell, 2011). Since they have made use of previous findings to support their results, it can be said that an effort has been made to make the findings more scientific and free of researcher bias. A comparison of almost all the findings has been provided making the findings more reliable. It is hard to say whether the researchers have uncovered anything new in their findings since previous studies have either proved or disproved the topic being studied. However, confirmation of certain factors contributing to physical exercise in PWMS, such as different stages of self-efficacy, etc. 10. Rigor of the Study The researchers have not highlighted any shortcomings of the study nor did they check the accuracy of the interview with the participants to enhance the credibility of the results. Though no independent researchers were involved in the process, the opinion of the Research Advisory Group was taken in to consideration, reducing personal bias in the interpretation. The stages of research have been discussed very briefly leaving many questions unanswered. A rigorous research is defined as “research that applies the appropriate tools to meet the stated objectives of the investigations” (Ryan, 2001, p.4). Keeping this definition in mind, it can be said that research in question is somewhat rigorous as it did meet the aim it set out in the beginning, however, the method could have been more refine. The researchers provided a brief and precise conclusion of the findings and also made suggestions for future studies. 11. Conclusion 277 The researchers aimed at studying the personal experiences of PWMS and made use of a qualitative method and a phenomenological approach to explain the results. A total of 27 participants were selected after a pilot study. The interviews of the participants were audio-taped and then transcribed with the help of professionals. However, no comment can be made on whether or not the ethical considerations were taken in to consideration. A general inductive approach was used to analyze the results and it was found that support was the most common theme with three sub themes. Two new themes were also identified. A brief conclusion of findings is presented in the end along with suggestions for future research. It can be concluded that though the research has most of the elements of a good research, it is missing some very important points. The researchers have failed to provide details of how the findings were interpreted and only a brief account of the themes was given. Secondly, the researchers have not identified any limitations of the research and ignored some very important demographic information which could have potentially affected the results. Lastly, whether or not the ethical considerations were taken in to account or not is unclear as no information regarding that is given. Overall it can be said that the research was not perfect but can definitely be considered to be a significant addition to the present literature on the topic. List of References Aveyard, H 2010, Doing a Literature Review in Health and Social Care: A Practical Guide, McGraw-Hill International, New York. Babbie, E 2001, The Practice of Social Research, Wadsworth Thomson, Belmont, CA. Bryman, A 2001, Social Research Methods, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Creswell, J W 2003, Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methods Approaches, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA. Department of Health 2005, Research Governance Framework for Health and Social Care, Department of Health, London. Gillham, B 2000, The Research Interview, Continuum, London. Haisler, P 2011, How to Write a Good Research Paper, Samfundslitteratur, Munich. Holloway, I 2005, Qualitative Research in Healthcare, McGraw=Hill International, New York. Keele, R 2010, Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice, Jones and Bartlett Learning, Sudbury. Locker, K O 1997, LEO Writing Abstracts, University of Illinois, Urbana. Macnee, C L & Mccabe, S 2008, Understanding Nursing Research: Using Research in Evidence-Based Practice, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia. Medical Dictionary 2013, Sampling. Viewed on January 23, 2013 from . Moriarty, J 2011, Qualitative Methods, School for Social Care Research, London Nicholls, C 2011, The Advantages of using Qualitative Research Methods. Alexander Technique College, Hove. O’Brian, P M, & Pipkin, F B 2007, Introduction to Research Methodology for Specialist Trainees, RCOG, London. Opdenakker, R 2006, Advantages and Disadvantages of Four Interview Techniques in Qualitative Research, Viewed on January 23, 2013 from . Ritchie, J & Lewis, A 2003, Qualitative Research Practice: A Guide for Social Science Students and Researchers, SAGE, London. Ryan, G W 2001, What Are Standards Of Rigor For Qualitative Research? RAND Corporation, New York. Winkler, A C & Metherell, J R 2011, Writing the Research Paper: A Handbook. Cengage Learning, Mason. Read More