Research Critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Research Critique - Essay Example Suggestions and alternatives on how to improve these strengths and weaknesses shall also be considered. The research subject of this critique is relevant to the practice as it evaluates the effects of securing fall prevention policies in hospitals, especially for the elderly and those with limited and compromised mobility. This topic is also relevant as it displays the benefits of a fall prevention program in the hospital with the end hope of securing improved patient outcomes. Critical evaluation The title of the article is clear and very much precise. It is short enough to warrant interest from the reader, but also concise in its description of the research. It also provides the foundations of the research in terms of its variables and clinical setting. It does not however specify the subject respondents for the research, whether they be elderly patients in critical care or those who have compromised mobility. These details would have made the title more concise and encompassing. T he abstract is adequately written. It clearly provides a condensed version of the contents of the study, noting the research questions, aims, and objectives of the study (Polit and Hungler, 1997). The methods of the study have also been specified in the abstract, including the results and conclusion (Parahoo and Reid, 1988). The abstract is however overly long, made up of more than 250 words. Abstracts should average about 100 to 200 words (Ingham-Broomfield, 2006). The background/introduction of the study clearly identifies the purpose of the article. The authors detail the conceptual basis for the study, while also identifying gaps and health issues in the practice. The aims and objectives of the study were also identified in the research, particularly specifying the general direction of the research paper (Parahoo and Reid, 1988). The only weakness which can be seen in the introduction is that not all the essential details for the background of the study are identified in the tex t instead, they are incorporated into the text for the reader’s extrapolation. As for the literature review, it is not clearly identified as a distinct part of the research. Instead, it is incorporated and summarized in the introduction. Nevertheless, all the important details for the literature review are contained therein (Polit and Hungler, 1997). Original and primary sources have been used by the authors. The studies included in the literature review detail what is currently known about the research topic, the gaps in the knowledge, the significance of the study, and the position of the study within the current body of knowledge (Polit and Hungler, 1997). A broad understanding of the topic has been made possible through the literature review and the authors were able to use the studies to guide their methodology in their research. The review also assessed the strengths and weaknesses of the methods used in the previous studies and to use such data to guide their research (Burns and Grove, 2001). The other methods were also critiqued in order to analyze their applicability to their current research. In reviewing the research’s literature reviewed, more studies could have been discussed or drawn out in order to provide more support for the study. These studies would have strengthened the research foundation and provided more details to guide the researchers. The design for the study – comparative –