Critical Appraisal of a Research Article on Caregiver's Experience in Rehabilitation of Stroke Patients

Evidence 122
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Introduction:
Stroke patients should be rehabilitated and it should be patient centred. Implementation of
effective rehabilitation of stroke patients can be evaluated by exploring experience of
caregivers. Experience of caregivers to stroke patients can be explored through studies aimed
at exploring experiences of caregivers. Critical appraisal of the research article can be helpful
in assessing validity and robustness of the research study. In this essay, experience of
caregivers in the rehabilitation of stroke patients will be critically compared, analysed and
assessed. This essay will critically appraise quality of the research article in terms of authors,
purpose of the study, study design, study methodology and results. This essay will also assess
rigour and validity of research.
Discussion:
Every author mentioned in this research study were with appropriate expertise and experience
for conducting research study related to stroke rehabilitation. All these authors were affiliated
to research organisation. This organisation was having all the facilities and resources for
conducting research study. Every author contributed significantly in carrying out research;
moreover, these authors were not having any conflict of interest. Authors conducted this
research in 2015 and these findings are still relevant.
Clinical question was set from the clinical scenario. Efforts were made in the research article
to answer research question set during the clinical scenario. Research question set during the
clinical scenario was in alignment with the aim of the research study. Both clinical question
from clinical scenario and aim of the research study mentioned about the exploration of the
caregiver’s experience in the rehabilitation and activities of daily living of patients followed
by stroke. There were few studies available for Perceptions of caregivers in rehabilitation.
Hence, this study was planned for exploring perceptions of caregivers in rehabilitation of
stroke patients.
Mixed research design should comprise of combined qualitative and quantitative research
designs. Mixed research design need to be implemented when combined research design can
produce more robust and valid result as compared to either qualitative or quantitative
research design. Analysis of the data was also included in this study along with qualitative
and quantitative research. Experiments and surveys comes under quantitative research design
and focus groups and interviews comes under qualitative research. In this research study,
different samples and different studies were compared in quantitative methods and insight or
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awareness of caregivers about stroke rehabilitation were assessed in qualitative methods
(Richardson-Tench, Taylor, Kermode et al., 2015).
Quantitative research design comprised of comparison and it was achieved through
descriptive research design. Descriptive study can be carried out by observational study and
in this study, variables are being not controlled. Descriptive research design can be carried
out through both longitudinal and cross-sectional design (Hoffmann, Bennett, and Del Mar,
2017). In the present study, same study samples were being interviewed over the period of
time. It indicates, longitudinal study was being used in this study. Longitudinal study was
more suitable study design for this study because perceptions of same caregivers need to be
analysed over the time. Hence, variation in the perception of same caregiver was being
analysed over the period of time. It reflects, in comparison to the cross-sectional study
design, longitudinal study design was more suitable for this research study (Schneider,
Whitehead, LoBiondo-Wood et al., 2016).
Mixed method of research are more efficient methods of research because strengths and
weaknesses of qualitative and quantitative research can be effectively balanced. Outcome of
research can be demonstrated more effectively and in elaborative manner in mixed method of
research (Punch, 2013). Mixed method of research can also be helpful in establishing
relationship among varied outcomes of the research. Mixed method of research requires more
time and plan; hence, these methods are more complex as compared to either of the methods.
This study comprised of qualitative study in the initial phase and quantitative study in the
later phase. It reflects, sequential exploratory method was used in this study (Greenhalgh,
Wherton, Papoutsi et al., 2017).
In this article, secondary analysis of data obtained from prospective observational study was
done. Random sampling was used in this research study, in which each participant can have
equal opportunity for participation in the study. Samples selected in this study were based on
the preselected criteria; hence, this sampling method was purposive sampling method. These
samples were suitable to meet the aim of the study. Inclusion and exclusion criteria should be
mentioned in the research study because these can be helpful in explaining sample universe,
describing sample characteristics, reducing sample variability and optimising decision
making in sampling. However, in this study inclusion criteria were mentioned and exclusion
criteria were not mentioned (Bernard, 2012).
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