Relieving the suffering that patients endure is the main mandate that healthcare professionals are required to execute. Every day, practitioners work tirelessly to fulfill this obligation. However, as the needs of patents become more complex, practitioners are forced to extend the scope of their obligation. Today, nurses are leading the healthcare profession in attending to both the physical as well as mental health needs of patients. Patients ailing from rheumatoid arthritis are among those that have benefited from the tremendous dedication that practitioners have demonstrated. In addition to receiving care to treat this condition, the patients are also being provided with services that are designed to alleviate the stress that many experience. The Prime Network penned an article in which it detailed the various interventions used to manage stress in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Whereas there are some serious concerns regarding the reliability and validity of the article, it underscores the importance of practitioners to help the patients manage their stress levels.
Summary
As noted above, the focus of the article by the Prime Network is stress management techniques for patients ailing from rheumatoid arthritis. In the article, it is noted that for many patients with this condition, stress is a serious problem (“Stress Management” 2011). Apart from the hardships that the condition causes, the patients also grapple with such other challenges as financial hardships, job-related stressors and the loss of friends and loved ones. These challenges can compound the difficulties that the patients experience, leading to stress. Fortunately, as the article makes clear, there are a number of interventions that have proven effective in the management of the stress. While patients may be provided with medication, there are some interventions that involve cognitive and behavioral solutions. For example, yoga, tai chi and cognitive behavioral therapy are among the interventions that the article presents as being highly effective (“Stress Management” 2011). This article is not isolated in finding that stress experienced by patients with rheumatoid arthritis can be managed. Such other articles as those authored by Alishiri, Bastani, Ahmadi and Saadat (2017) confirm that stress is a real problem that can be managed fairly easily. Zangi et al. (2014) agree that when patients work together with their practitioners, they can make remarkable progress in the management of stress.
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Sampling Techniques
The sampling techniques that researchers employ influence the quality of a study. If the sample is rather small, it may be difficult for the findings that the researchers obtain to be considered valid and applicable to the general population. It is therefore critical for researchers to ensure that their sample size is such that it allows for the study to be conducted conveniently while imbuing the study’s outcomes with implications for practice (Donnelly & Arora, 2015). The article by the Prime Network simply details the findings from other studies. This means that the authors did not employ sampling techniques per se. Despite this fact, it is still possible to analyze the article on the basis of the quality and scope of its review of available research evidence. Instead of providing a thorough exploration of evidence, this article simply identifies a few studies which are consistent with the claims that it makes. For instance, the article cites a study that established that when they experience stress, patients with rheumatoid arthritis may witness a worsening of their symptoms (“Stress Management” 2011). While this finding is critical and lends validity to the argument that the article makes, on its own, it is not sufficiently weighty to eliminate all doubt. For the article to be more credible and valid, the authors should have been more extensive and rigorous in their review of literature.
Concerns about Reliability and Validity
Validity and reliability are some of the benchmarks that are used to evaluate research. On the one hand, validity is concerned with the extent to which a particular research tool or method actually measures the phenomenon or variable for which it is designed. On the other hand, validity refers to whether research yields outcomes that can be considered consistent and stable. For example, if another researcher repeats a particular study, they should obtain similar results. Given that it merely reports the findings of studies conducted by other researchers, it is rather difficult to assess the Prime Network article for reliability and validity. However, there are some concerns about the article’s validity and reliability. These concerns are outlined in the section below.
One of the concerns regarding validity is the citing of studies that are not directly related to the issue that the article examines. It has already been stated that the study explores the stress management techniques that can be administered on patients with rheumatoid arthritis. In its exploration of this issue, the article mentions a study which focused on the experiences of patients who did not have rheumatoid arthritis. This study determined that various interventions improved the experiences of these individuals (“Stress Management” 2011). Using this finding, the article concludes that these interventions can deliver similar benefits for the patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. This conclusion is clearly flawed and serious questions can be raised about the validity of the article. Its authors rely on information that is not directly related to the issue in question to make a sweeping conclusion that could have implications for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis patients who are stressed. To safeguard the wellbeing of patients, the article should be considered with abundant caution.
Another question concerning the article’s validity and reliability can be seen in its failure to support some of the claims that it makes. For example, the article argues that education programs have been shown to have a significant impact in alleviating the symptoms of stressed rheumatoid arthritis patients. No reference to the studies that have established this is made. However, for the sake of fairness, it is worth acknowledging that various scholars have confirmed that educating patients is among the techniques that help to improve symptoms. For example, Kordasiabi et al. (2016) observed that when implemented properly, education initiatives can deliver numerous gains for the patients whose symptoms are compounded by stress and depression. To enhance the reliability and validity of the article, the authors should have ensured that all claims made are accompanied by appropriate and sufficient support.
Validity and reliability are more than mere theoretical concepts. They are important metrics that can be maintained by taking such steps as ensuring that research studies have been thoroughly scrutinized. An examination of the Prime Network article raises concerns since the article does not seem to have been subjected to a peer-review process. This process is critical as it allows scholars to ensure that research studies are valid, credible and accurate. The only form of credibility that the article possesses is from the fact that it features on a website maintained by an organization involved in the delivery of medical education. While this organization possesses some authority that injects credibility into the article, the concerns remain. For the insights that the article shares to be integrated into practice, physicians and nurses may demand more convincing forms of credibility and validity.
Flaws and Discrepancies
The validity and reliability issues that have been identified above are not the only questions that erode the quality of the article. There are other flaws and discrepancies that may discourage professionals from integrating the article into their practice. Among these flaws is the fact that the article bases some of its conclusions on research studies that it admits are inconsistent and scanty. For example, the article notes that serious stressors such as the death of a family member can worsen the condition of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (“Stress Management” 2011). It then makes it clear that the studies that have established the link between the major stressors and rheumatoid arthritis are not plentiful and that they are inconsistent. This flaw raises the question of whether any of the claims that the article makes can be accepted as credible. While this flaw is a major cause for concern, it should not distract from the overall message of the article. The article provides practitioners with fairly simple and practical solutions that they can adopt as part of their efforts to improve the experiences of their patients. Furthermore, most of the assertions that the article presents have been confirmed by other researchers. Therefore, overall, the article is acceptably reliable and valid.
In conclusion, rheumatoid arthritis is one of the most common illnesses that affect millions of people globally. In addition to grappling with the pain that comes with this condition, the patients with rheumatoid arthritis also face stressful situations. Research has established that the stressors that they encounter can make their symptoms worse. It is indeed a relief that there are a number of solutions that nurses, physicians and other practitioners can implement into their management of the cases of the patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Cognitive behavioral therapy, tai chi and yoga are some of these interventions. The main benefit of these interventions is that they can be administered in a wide variety of settings and they are cost-effective. To establish their effectiveness and safety, further research should be conducted.
References
Alishiri, G., Bastani, R., Ahmadi, K., Saadat, S. H. (2017). Effects of stress management on quality of life in females with rheumatoid arthritis. Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, 11 (3), e9605.
Donnelly, T., & Arora, K. (2015). Research methods: the essential knowledge base. Boston: Cengage.
Kordasiabi, M. C., Akhlaghi, M., Baghianimoghadam, M. H., Morowatisharifabad, M. A., Askarishahi, M., Enjezab, B., & Pajouhi, Z. (2016). Self management behaviors in rheumatoid arthritis patients and associated factors in Tehran 2013. Global Journal of Health Science, 8 (3), 156-67.
Stress management for patients with rheumatoid arthritis. (2011). Prime Network. Retrieved March 23, 2019 from https://primeinc.org/casestudies/pa_np/study/897/Stress_Management_for_Patients_with_Rheumatoid_Arthritis
Zangi, H. A., Ndosi, M., Adams, J. et al. (2014). EULAR recommendations for patient education for people with inflammatory arthritis. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, 74 (6). DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-206807
