Evaluation of effects of nutrition intervention on healing of pressure ulcers and nutritional states (randomized controlled trial)

Running head: NURSING
Nursing
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1NURSING
Answer 1
Yes.
Shea et al. (2017) stated that random allocation of the participants in the treatment and
in the control group helps to increase the internal validity of the RCT design to explore the
casual relationships. In this study the allocation of the individuals in the control and in the
experiment group has occurred purely by chance and is not influence by any specific
characterization of the patients. At first the authors used some initial criteria for the selection
of the final group of participants in the study and then the division between the control and
the experimental group occurred (Ohura et al., 2011).
Answer 2
Unclear
Kahan, Rehal and Cro (2015) stated that an individual who is not aware about that
group is upcoming process of allocation, will perform allocation of the participants in the
control and to the experimental group in the randomised control trial. This helps to avoid the
risk of encountering selection bias. In order to avoid selection bias, concealment of allocation
is done. However, study conducted by Ohura et al. (2011) failed to highlight whether the
allocator is concealed about the next group or it used central randomization.
Answer 3
The differences between the treatment of the participants in the control and in the
experimental group hamper the internal validity of the study (Mulder, 2017). In the study, the
patients who are included in the control group got equal amount of calories as before taking
part in the trial. The participants who are included in the experimental group were
administered calories as per the range of the Basal Energy Expenditure (BEE) that is being

2NURSING
calculated based on the Harris-Benedict equation. Before the initiation of the study, both the
group underwent through preparation tenure of about 10 days in order to adjust or to switch
their feeding formula. Both the groups were treated as per the Guidelines stated by the Local
Treatment of Pressure Ulcers (Ohura et al., 2011).
Answer 4
Can’t tell
Mulder (2017) stated that if the participants are aware that they are in the treatment or
in the control group then there is a risk that they behave differently and they respond or they
react differently towards the different intervention of interest or towards the control
intervention. In other words it can be said that blinding of the participants signifies the
approach that prevents the participants from understanding under which group they are being
allocated. Blinding of the participants helps to minimize the risk. Here blinding means, the
person are not aware about the group under which they are allocated. In the research paper,
the authors failed to state that whether participants of the study were blinded about the
process of allocation (Ohura et al., 2011).
Answer 5
Can’t tell
This question helps to understand to whether the people who are delivering the
treatment were blind about the process of allocation. Blinding of the allocators helps to avoid
the chances of getting distorted results. For example, of the people who are delivering the
treatment is not blinded then there increase the chances of biasness (Christ, 2014). The main
treatment used in this study is servicing specific calorific food based on the Basal Energy
Expenditure (BEE) X 1.1 X 1.3 to 1.5. The overall period of intervention was 12 weeks.