Nursing problem addressed by this research is the level of confidence that patients in nursing homes and their family members have with respect to tests and treatments that occur in the residential nursing home rather than in a clinical or hospital setting. It is understandable that patients and family members might be concerned that the quality of care is not the same across all settings. And nursing homes are working hard to establish higher standards of care and to repair their (sometimes) tarnished reputations. Nurses understand that the mind and body connection is very strong, and that a belief in the value of a treatment can impact the results that are experienced by that treatment. From this perspective, it is clear that nurses need to be engaged in processes that help to bolster the confidence of patients and their loved ones in the treatment plans and medical tests that they receive. Moreover, it is important for nurses to recognize that these matters are even more important when a patient is receiving critical care, a situation when time is of the essence.

Residents of nursing homes often need to undergo diagnostic tests or receive medical treatment for acute health issues. To receive these services, nursing home residents are frequently sent...

As technology becomes more available, many nursing homes are acquiring equipment that enables a number of diagnostic tests and acute health care to be accomplished at the nursing home. For nursing home patients and their families to value the complex health care that can be provided on site at the nursing home, they must believe that the care and tests are comparable to any diagnostic tests or complex health care treatments they would receive if they went to the hospital.
The article reviewed for this paper examines these issues using the treatment of pneumonia in nursing home patients as the focus medical condition (Carusone, 2006). The qualitative study by Carusone (2006) examined the perspectives of residents and family members regarding treatment for pneumonia that was or is to be carried out in the actual nursing home environment. The research question that drove this study was to learn if the treatment plan is used for pneumonia in the patients living in the home is consistent with the preferences of the nursing home residents.

Article Critique

The purpose of the study and the research questions were inextricably…