In healthcare, the nature and quality of services provided to the targeted patients is a key concern. Health practitioners go through a comprehensive education program to acquire the necessary skills to address different healthcare needs across various groups. One of the concerns in healthcare facility administration is the need to maintain the quality level. Different scholars have conducted empirical investigations to determine the measures that could be undertaken to improve the quality of healthcare service and patient experience in different settings (Chase et al., 2011). The current proposed study seeks to investigate how the level of education and professional training affect the quality of the care administered by healthcare professional such as the CNAs in nursing homes. Therefore, the study seeks to investigate how educational and professional knowledge impacts the outcomes of care services in terms of quality in a critical setting, such as a nursing home. Therefore, the research question is as follows;
How do the level of education and professional training affect the quality of the care administered by healthcare professionals such as the CNAs in nursing homes?
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Review of the Selected Studies
One of the studies that have investigated the implication of the training of practitioners was carried out by Derjung et al. (2013). The research examined the interventions used to improve the communication of newly prescribed medications to patients. The analysis focused on how the knowledge, skills, and experience of the practitioners could be used to enhance the level of effective communication when administering a newly prescribed medication. The study was justified by the possibility of physicians being unable to deliver the required and accurate information about a new medication to the patients. Such a professional challenge has been linked to multiple quality-related challenges in healthcare. When it comes to new medication, the nature of communication between the patient and the practitioner determines the outcomes both in the short-term and long-term basis. For example, failure to have adequate information about a new medication or the inability to professionally communicate the available information to patients could lead to critical risks. The need to improve the effectiveness of communication in such a situation to enhance the quality of patient experience led to the study conducted by Derjung et al. (2013).
Derjung et al. (2013) used a quantitative method to evaluate data from three primary care facilities. The collected data came from surveys and recorded audios as physicians interacted with the patients, which were later analyzed based on the quantitative themes. The controlled clinical trial focused on the five basic elements of communication in line with practitioner professionalism. The study found out that out of the professionals who participated in the study as well as the data collected from the audio recordings, about 113 new medications had been administered to 82 patients. Derjung et al. (2013) calculated the mean MCI, significant differences, and the deviations between those who received new medication and the control group. In this study, the major limitation was the lack of the qualitative aspect of the analysis conducted. That is, the research focused on numerical analysis, which provided limited evidence regarding the perception and experience of physicians as the caregivers and the patients as the receivers. Nevertheless, the pilot study, the use of large sample size, and the inclusion of cross-examination of three primary facilities enhanced the validity of the research.
Another study by Reichert and Price (2017) used a qualitative approach to investigate the professional development and its impact on the quality of service in healthcare. Reichert and Price (2017) looked at the advantages associated with continuous professional development in line with the career paths of different health practitioners. The scholars examined the career-related satisfaction emanating from the nature of the training received and its impact on patient care. The study used a total of 185 focus groups, each having 8 to 15 members. The data collected from the respondents were categorized and evaluated according to the themes as depicted in the objectives and research questions defining the topic under investigation. The study showed that continuous professional development path is common among nurses and equally impacts the nature of care that patients receive when other factors are held constant. According to the study by Reichert and Price (2017), there is a link between professional development quality of care.
It is important to note that the study by Reichert and Price (2017), which adopted a qualitative approach, revealed multidimensional issues about the topic under investigation. The appropriateness of the method in this study allowed the scholars to draw diverse conceptual and theoretical links between the themes that emerged from the evaluation of the responses from the focus groups. On the other hand, the method allowed the researchers to have a comprehensive analysis of the link between professional development and patient care by incorporating the experience of the nurses in the line of duty. However, to achieve the desired reliability and avidity associated with the study, the researchers had to use a large sample. In this case, the use of over 185 focus group with 8 to 15 members required an extensive period to collect, thematize, and interpret the data. Nevertheless, a comparison between the two studies by Derjung et al. (2013) and Reichert and Price (2017) shows that the latter presented comprehensive results because of the use of a qualitative method.
Appropriate Method for the Current Study
The review of the above studies has shown that each of the research methods has different limiting factors. The methodological challenges emanate from the appropriateness of the method in line with the topic under investigation. Such a scenario is determined by the objectives and the research questions. The findings of this review show that the reliable method for the proposed study is the use of qualitative analysis. The method focuses on the interpretation and evaluation of the perceptions, experiences, and attitudes associated with the participants or the phenomenon. In this current study, the method will ensure that the experience of patients is compared to the qualification of the nurses. The service provided by nurses and other medical practitioners depends on their level of professional experience; however, to ascertain this fact, the use of quantitative method limits a comprehensive presentation of each dimension of service quality. Therefore, the use of qualitative analysis will consider the nature of the qualification and how it impacts the level of professionalism as well as practice experience. At the same time, this proposed research will only be complete when the perspective, experience, and attitudes of patients are also accounted for in the analysis. However, the approach to the evaluation of the key themes in the study will determine the degree of reliability defining the findings.
References
Chase, S. M., Miller, W. L. et al. (2011). Meeting the challenge of practice quality improvement: a study of seven family medicine residency training practices. Acad Med, 29(5):238-247.
Derjung et al. (2013). Intervention to enhance communication about newly prescribed medications. Ann Fam Med , 11: 28-36. doi:10.1370/afm.1417.
Reichert, C. & Price, S. (2017). The importance of continuing professional development to career satisfaction and patient care: Meeting the needs of novice to mid- to late-career nurses throughout their career span. Adm. Sci ., 7(17); 1 – 13. doi:10.3390/admsci7020017
