it is important to conduct more test and studies to ensure these patients are getting the treatment they need to reduce pain discomfort.
Business Research Project Part 1
Jennifer Banos-Cabal, Norma Fuller, Mike Kovach, Natalia Murcia, Michelle Parra, Cari Perez
QNT/561 Applied Business Research & Statistics
March 2, 2015
Ethel Kloos-Fenn, Ph. D.
When a healthy patient has a wound that requires care from a wound care center the patient may feel pain and discomfort for several days to months before the pain goes away and the wound begins to heal. Many patients endure prolonged or increased pain with their wounds. Are their wounds treated incorrectly or is the patient not seeking medical help sooner? There are many reasons why patient’s wounds turn into a chronic wound. In this research paper Team B has identified Phoenix Wound Care Center as the organization to research and will present a more specific question about the pain of patient’s with wounds. A better understanding of this will help to further understand the research question presented below.
Independent & Dependent Variables
The members of Learning Team B chose to do a business research project on diabetes and the pain experienced from patients with chronic wounds. A variable is something that differs from one another. An independent variable, “is the variable that has the presumed effect of the dependent variable” (Lobiondo & Haber, 2006, p. 53). In contrast, the dependent variable “is often referred to as the consequence or the presumed effect that varies with a change in the independent variable” (Lobiondo & Haber, 2006, p. 53). The dependent variable is what Team B is interested in explaining or understanding. The team is assuming that the pain perception (independent variable) will vary with changes in the pain management strategies (dependent variable).
Background, business problem & team’s role
When skin is cut or broken, injury to the living tissue creates a wound, which typically, heals on its own. However, in more serious cases, wounds that do not heal become chronic problems for individuals. The incidence of chronic wounds continues to grow in the United States. As of 2015, over 8 million Americans suffer from the pain of a chronic wound and there is roughly 1.1 to 1.8 million new cases diagnosed every year (Kessler Center for Wound Care, 2/27/2015). The number of cases is growing rapidly due to an aging population, increase in the incidence of diabetes, and a national obesity epidemic. According to The National Center for Biotechnology Information (n.d.), over 25 billion dollars is spent annually to treat chronic wounds. However, despite advances in medical treatments, patients still experience a significant amount of pain during the remediation of chronic wounds leading to recurring visits to their doctor.
Based on the experiences at Phoenix Wound Care, the researchers will determine the relationship between patients’ pain levels and their management strategies. Data collection will consist of measurements from the patient pain scale, customer service surveys, and verbal complaints to clinical staff. In addition, interviews conducted with patients, physicians, nurses, patients care givers, and patients’ families will outline suggestions to improve the pain treatment for patients with wounds.
Members of the Phoenix Wound Care center will conduct a research study to measure the dimensions of the pain experience for patients with wounds. The team will also study the pain management strategies used during the course of treatment along with the number of treatments a patient receives, and assess the effectiveness in alleviating the pain by analyzing the data from the perspective of the patient, family, and health care provider. The goal of the study is to determine the most effective pain management strategies for patients with chronic wounds.
Develop a research question from the two variables
Formulating the research question is a key preliminary step in the research process. “A research question best states the objective of the business research study” (Cooper & Schindler, 2011, p. 116). A research question is a more specific management question and should be answered. Team B stated a basic dilemma that prompted this research project. The dilemma is an increasing number of patient complaints about pain experiences in their wounds. To explore this dilemma patient pain scales, customer service surveys and verbal complaints to the wound care centers clinical staff can be analyzed. The center would like to know what should be done to improve pain for patients with wounds, this would include changing their pain management strategies or administering pain medication to affect the patient’s perception of pain. To further explore this question, interviews with patients, physicians, nurses, patient caregivers and patient’s family may take place. As a result of the inquiries stated above the team defined a question that they would like to research: What is a patients’ pain experience with wounds and their pain management strategies?
Hypothesis statements
Team B has devised this hypothesis statement from our research question: If the wound care center improves their pain management strategies there will be a decrease in pain perception from patients with wounds. The doctors have to examine the patient completely and not just the wound. There may be other factors causing the pain, by removing each possible cause of pain, reduces the chances of mistreatment. According to Daley (2014), “Successful treatment of difficult wounds requires assessment of the entire patient and not just the wound. Systemic problems often impair wound healing; conversely, non-healing wounds may herald systemic pathology” (para. 1). Another important factor is for the doctors to educate the patient of their current condition. By explaining to the patient of what the patient may feel during treatment, the patient are more aware and have knowledge on how to treat the wound.
Team B conducted a research to define Phoenix Wound Care Centers question on patient’s pain experiences and the process to utilize varies treatment strategies taken to heal a chronic wound. Team B has found that the incidence of chronic wounds continues to grow in the United States. In researching the pain levels, techniques, and the number of treatments patients receive, Team B will analyze the data and see what methods and treatments are best to implement in the efforts to find the most effective pain management strategies for patients with chronic wounds. The results will show various ways to decrease the patient’s pain in wounds. For example, by changing the method of administering pain medication. Some patients have a longer healing time because of complications, such as co-morbidities, so it is important to conduct more test and studies to ensure these patients are getting the treatment they need to reduce pain discomfort.
References
Cooper, D.R., & Schindler, P.S. (2011). Business Research Methods (11th ed.). New York, NY:
McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
Daley, B.J. (2014). Wound Care Treatment and Management. Retrieved from
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/194018-treatment
Kessler Center for Wound Care. (2/27/2015). New hope for healing. Retrieved from http://www.kesslerwoundcare.com
LoBiondo-Wood, G., & Haber, J. (2006). Nursing Research: Methods and Critical Appraisal for
Evidence-Based Practice (6th ed.). St. Louis, Missouri: Mosby Elsevier.
Sen, C., Gordillo, G., Roy, S., Kirsner, R., Lambert, L., Hunt, T., Longaker, M. (n.d.). Human Skin Wounds: A Major and Snowballing Threat to Public Health and the Economy. Retrieved March 1, 2015, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2810192/