Critique #1 Answer Sheet:
Authors, Title, and Abstract
- Discuss author(s) qualifications to conduct the study, including educational preparation and clinical experience of author[s].
The authors were qualified to conduct the study since they were affiliated with the American Heart Association. James Langabeer and Tiffany Champagne-Langabeer had doctorate degrees while Carlos Perez Aldana had a Master’s degree. The three writers mentioned above worked professionally at the School of Biomedical Informatics at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. Timothy D. Henry worked at the Division of Cardiology at Cedar-Sinai Smidt Heart Institute. In contrast, Larissa DeLuna and Nora Silva worked at the SouthWest Affiliate of the American Heart Association (Langabeer et al.). Therefore, all authors were sufficiently qualified to conduct the study.
- Discuss the clarity of the article title (type of study, variables, and population stated).
The article has a clear title that identifies the purpose of research, the intervention, and the population of interest. Hence, readers can know that the authors seek to examine the effects of adopting a community population health initiative to regulate hypertension in Hispanics.
- Discuss the quality of the abstract (purpose, design, sample, intervention, and key results presented).
The abstract is brief and accurate since it provides an overview of the sections covered in the paper. The background provides the purpose of the paper while the methods and results section summarizes the procedure used while conducting the study. The design, sample, intervention, and key results are outlined in the abstract too.
Literature Review/Background
- Briefly describe the clinical problem that prompted the study. This is not the research question, but the clinical issue that needed investigation.
The clinical problem that prompted the study involves the classification of hypertension as a major contributor to cardiovascular disease in the US. Moreover, the researchers mentioned that cardiovascular health had ethnic and racial variations. The Latino community had historical issues with hypertension (Liao et al. 11)
- Discuss the data provided for the significance of the clinical problem,and whether or not you believe it is an important problem for nursing science.
The study showed how the prevalence rates for hypertension affected 115 million adults or 46% of the country’s population (Langabeer et al.). The American Heart Association (AHA) committed to reducing the deaths due to stroke and cardiovascular disease by 20% in 2020.
- Identify the major topics discussed in the background section and evaluate whether there were any missing ideas or topics.
The major topics discussed in the background section include hypertension, cardiovascular health, and community-based programs. All relevant ideas were duly covered in the discussion.
- Briefly explain whether the background section included sources current at the time of the study (ie. within 5 years of publication).
The background section included current sources published within the last five years.
- Discuss whether the studies were critically evaluated and synthesized to provide a clear summary of the current knowledge about the problem of interest.
The studies mentioned in the background section were critically synthesized and evaluated to provide a comprehensive summary of current knowledge about the problem.
- Evaluate whether or not the background section provided support for the current research study. In other words, whether a gap(s) in research knowledge was/were clearly described.
The background section provided sufficient support for the current research study through verifiable facts and statistics. A gap in research knowledge was described in the form of contradictory findings related to lifestyle interventions and the efficacy of home-based BP monitoring (HBPM) (Langabeer et al.).
Research Problem, Purpose, Research Questions/Hypotheses
- State the study purpose and evaluate whether or not the purpose clearly addresses the gap in nursing knowledge identified in the background section.
The purpose of the study was to examine the effects associated with establishing a community-based HBPM intervention mainly directed to a Hispanic population. The purpose clearly shows that a gap in knowledge exists as to the efficacy of community-based initiatives for Latinos.
- If there are research questions and/or hypotheses, list them, and discuss whether they logically follow from the research problem and purpose. If questions/hypotheses were only implied, rather than explicitly stated, describe that.
The questions and hypotheses were implied rather than explicitly stated. In harmony with previous studies, the researchers questioned the lifestyle interventions that could be used to address cardiovascular disease (Gray et al. 55). Furthermore, the study questioned whether HBPM was effective for patients from specific populations (Langabeer et al.). The researchers hypothesized that the AHA-sponsored community health intervention would change the behaviors of Texas-based Latinos.
Theoretical Framework
- Describe the theory/framework that supported the study, and list the important concepts in the theory framework.
The framework used to support the study involved the HBPM and its application in the diagnosis and self-management of hypertension. Significant concepts in the framework included the self-management and self-engagement of patients. Consequently, the researchers hoped that the HBPM framework would help patients to enjoy improved social, emotional, and physical health outcomes.
- Evaluate the clarity of the presentation of the framework. If it was vague or had missing elements, describe those.
The framework was quite clear since all essential concepts were discussed.
- Discuss how well the theory’s concepts were linked to the study variables.
The theory’s concepts were linked to the study variables since improvements in behavior would prove the theory’s efficacy.
