Statistical Significance
Topic 6 QD 1
Although most research uses both statistical significance and clinical significance as their measure of success, EBP projects use only the clinical significance as the measure of success. Cases, where clinical significance can be used as the only measure, include when a disease is already identified, and the nurses want to establish the effect size of the treatment offered. Also, in cases when the sample size is too small, statistical significance is not quantifiable hence in such a case, clinical significance can be used alone as a determinant of success. Another case when clinical significant can be used on its own is when the nurses are interested in establishing any potential side effects of the treatment made. In this case, the disease should be known, and the treatment should be closely associated with the disease. The nurses can use clinical significance to establish the magnitude of the side effects of treatment made.
Topic 6. qd1 CAT 6
Statistical significance is a term used in research which tries to uncover whether any differences observed in groups being studied are real or occurred due to chances. It is a measure of whether the findings in any research are meaningful and this can be confirmed if the data generated in research can reoccur again or it occurred by chance.
Clinical significance is a measure of how large the deviation in treatment effect is evident in clinical practice without considering whether it is real or by chance. This measures the risks associated with any treatment effect which makes it important in nursing practice.
Although clinical significance is the most preferred in nursing due to its measure, both are necessary for nursing practice for an outcome to be successful. This is because statistical significance helps to establish whether the treatment was effective while clinical significance measures the risks associated with any treatment.
Topic 6 QD 2
In most cases, patient preference and clinical expertise collide because no matter how the patient proves to understand his problem, the clinicians are not willing to go with his suggestions due to the belief that they are more experienced and knowledgeable. Patient-centered care assumes clinicians to be mere advisors and give patients responsibility to decide the treatment that should be administered to them. A scenario where I would like to mediate the issue of patient preference and clinical expertise is when a patient came to the hospital complaining of a backache. When the clinician wanted to dig more about the symptoms, the patient explained the cause of a backache as due to sitting for long hours and all that he wanted was painkillers. No matter how the clinician wanted to understand the cause, the patient was rigid with the response given and could not take any clinician suggestion.
In such a case, the clinician is forced to make treatment as prescribed by the patient and this can lead to future complication. The clinician fails to employ his expertise in that case.
Topic 6 qd2 CAT6
When protocols are to be followed in the treatment of a patient, patients’ needs are rarely met. This is because the clinician concentrates more on meeting all medical protocols rather than giving the patient need a priority. This can have a negative impact on the treatment of the patient because not all cases require standardized recipes. Each disease presents its symptoms that should be identified differently from the rest. The use of cookbook medicine mostly results in an unwanted outcome which can result in a longer period of ailment for the patient before the real diagnosis is made. If the patient doesn’t fit in the protocol, a wrong diagnosis is made which result in wrong treatment. This translates to adverse health effects to the patient which can result in death if a proper diagnosis is not made in time.
Patient preference will fit in the future of nursing practice where they will be expected to decide the treatment to be administered. Although this can diminish the power of nurses, patients will only be allowed to decide on treatment but not diagnosis so that the correct diagnosis can be made.