Evidenced Based Practice Article Critique
Introduction/Summary
The article examines the impact of supportive care program on the anxiety levels of women with suspected breast cancer during the diagnostic period. Supportive care is regarded as the attitude or intervention that enhances the interpersonal relationship or a person’s physical and psychological comfort. Breast cancer has been identified as the most common form of cancer in the women all over the world. According to the research, it has also been identified that women with suspected breast cancer experience moderate to extreme levels of anxiety during the diagnostic period. Therefore, this article tries to examine how informational and psychological support can improve emotional condition of women with breast cancer.
Longitudinal quasi experimental study was used in order to examine the topic. A total of 122 participants were selected from the outpatient department of large teaching hospital in Taiwan. Participant were divided into A and B, that is experimental and control groups. Experimental groups received supportive care while control groups received regular care. Supportive care involved evaluating the participant healthcare and support needs, providing health education and telephone consultations. Data was collected when breast lump was identified through clinical and image examination and this needed biopsy. According to the findings, the anxiety levels in women receiving supportive care were significantly lower before and after diagnosis compared to the control group receiving regular care.
Main point
The main point of the author is that supportive care to control the anxiety of women suspected to have breast cancer has a very significant impact. The author generally implies that supporting the psychological parameters of women with breast cancer can lead to highly improved results of diagnosis. There are number things that involve supportive care of patients and this includes informational, emotional assistance and monitoring the progress of women with breast cancer through such things as follow up telephone consultations. The main idea of the article is that support care to women with suspected breast cancer reduces the levels of anxiety and improves quality of care within the breast cancer diagnostic period.
Purpose of the Author
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer affecting the women globally. During the diagnostic period that is before and after confirmation of the conditions, patients experience increased levels of emotional and psychological distress due to absence of adaptation (Liao et al, 2009). The purpose of the author on this paper was to illustrate the impact of supportive care on anxiety levels of women with suspected breast cancer during the diagnostic period. The author wanted to show the significance of supportive care on levels of anxiety on women with suspected breast cancer and how this approach reduces the state of anxiety on those having routine therapy and how it leads to improved outcomes. The article also aimed at showing how incorporating supportive care program with informational and motional support may serve as a clinical guideline for women suspected of having breast cancer during the diagnostic period how
Intended Audience
The intended audience is mainly healthcare providers and the other people who are directly linked to women with or suspected to have breast cancer since they directly influence the health of these patients .The article is appropriate or the intended audience in that it serves as a reference for clinical nursing staff to improve care quality during the breast cancer diagnostic period by providing women with individualized and culturally sensitive care (Liao, et al 2009).
Argument Presented To Support Stand
The argument the author presents is that healthcare professionals working with women in tumor related units may integrate various approaches in order to improve the diagnostic process. The author claims that supportive care involves incorporating informational and emotional support and help serve as a clinical guideline for women with suspected breast cancer in the diagnostic process. Consequently, supporting this program with patients education and patient follow up approaches also improve the care of patients. To support the argument, the author presents a longitudinal quasi- experimental study undertaken in Taiwan. The findings of the study illustrate that supportive care reduces anxiety level before and after diagnosis for women with breast cancer.
Organization and Clarity of the Article
The article is systematic and well organized therefore many it easy to read, understand and derive the main points. The author has presented his ideas in a logical manner. Data has been clearly presented and supported by facts from other researchers therefore, there is high level of accuracy and credibility in the data presented by the author. Consequently, data presented in the table is congruent wit the data presented in the text. The author has presented his argument logically and supported his fact with quite a substantial amount of evidence form other sources. The argument presented in the article support the main idea of the article and therefore we can say that it appropriately suits the intended audience.
Opposing Points Of View
However, the author presents and refutes opposing argument at some point. This evident where he claims that supportive care program failed to reduce the anxiety levels of women with benign diagnosis before breast biopsy yet he claims through the article that this approach improves the anxiety levels of women with suspected breast cancer. Consequently, the author contradicts himself hen he claims that the increased levels of anxiety in the women with benign stage might not be linked with the lack of supportive care program but unfamiliarity of the biopsy processes, operation rooms and staff. This implies supportive care program might have less significance for patients that are familiar with these parameters.
Assumptions and Bias
The approach or selection of participants or study was biased in that they were only selected from the outpatient department of a large teaching hospital systematic large-scale sampling was not undertaken and this implies that the study was biased due lack of generalized results. Conversely, there possible sampling biases since participant were not randomly assigned to experimental control and this means that there was need for random sampling. Finally there was probability of social desirability bias since participants new that they were under supportive care. This bias would have been eliminated only when double blind design was used in the study.
Conclusion
Supportive care program that is combination of informational and emotional support meets the psychological needs of women with suspected breast cancer. However, this approach did not statistically improve the anxiety levels of women with benign diagnosis before breast biopsy and this attributed to influence of the women’s point of view (Liao, et al, 2009). This means that there is more that s to be added on supportive care approach and this includes such things as informational and motional support. Conversely, supportive care for women ought to be based on consistent evaluation of psychological and emotional status. Finally, support care programs should be integrated with the services offered by health service providers working with women with breast cancer.
Reference
Liao,M. et al (2009). Effect of Supportive Care On The Anxiety Of Women With Suspected Breast Cancer. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 66(1)49-59
