Prior to the study, the researcher consulted pertinent literature on both the head-of-bed elevation standard and the Clinical Decision Support System. The sources used were authoritative and relevant. The information presented by the author is in agreement with other research in this clinical area of study (Frederich, Sud, & Sud et al. (2008); Williams, Chan & Kelly (2008).
The author placed considerable emphasis on nurse characteristics, which were not even mentioned as an objective of the study. They seem to have been added into the methodology without justification. The objective of the study addressed patient characteristics, but not nurse characteristics. This added in another variable that was not part of the original research study. Patient characteristics and the affect of the CDSS were discussed sufficiently, as were the limitations of the study. The authors provided enough details of the study to be replicated by other researchers. The authors were careful to make certain that they were objective in the ability to apply the results to different sample populations and paid particular attention to the limitations of the study.
It appears from the research that more emphasis needs to be placed on identifying at-risk patient populations and on fixing software problems that limited the effectiveness of the CDSS software. These points were not emphasized in the conclusion of the study, and need to be made clearer in the conclusion of the study. The authors need to spend more time on their recommendations in order to improve the usefulness of the study to the nursing profession.
References
Frederich, J., Sud, S. & Sud, M. et al. (2008), Prone position ventilation for community-acquired pneumonia [letter]. CMAJ 178 (9): 1153-1161.
Lyerla, F., LeRouge, C. & Cooke, D. et al. (2010). A Nursing Clinical Decision Support System and Potential Predictors of Head-of-Bed Position For Patients Receiving Mechanical Ventilation. American Journal of Critical Care, January 2010, 19 (1): 39-47.
Williams, Z., Chan, R. & Kelly, E. (2008). A Simple Device to Increase Rates of Compliance in Maintaining 30-Degree Head-of-bed Elevation in Ventilated Patients. Crit…
