The article aimed to prove the usefulness of acupuncture in the treatment of pain associated with endometriosis, one of the infections affecting the female reproductive system. The study predicted that existing endometriosis therapies are infective due to side effects, but that acupuncture can be utilized instead. The study's goal was to determine the efficacy of acupuncture in treating visceral pelvic endometriosis by reviewing a paper describing its clinical effects.
The full-text search on clinical trials, observational studies, and case reports using the keywords "acupuncture and endometriosis" was utilized to achieve the following goals. The selected articles were those only written in English and contained abstracts; this was also considered the selection criteria. Various databases were used to extract the article, and they included, CIHAHL, PubMed, and the web of science to ensure the sources obtained were credible peer-reviewed scientific journals. This was a metanalysis of the articles that focused on the topic stated above was the method of study used by this research. The variables under study included the dependent and independent which were pain associated with visceral pelvic endometriosis and acupuncture treatment respectively (Lund & Lundeberg, 2016).
The result was obtained from analyzing three sources with 99 participants of the age between 13 years and 40, who had been diagnosed with endometriosis. The three studies utilized different instruments of evaluation and the techniques for needle simulation, which led to the variation in their study design. During the acupuncture treatment, each subjection per session was inserted 12 needles, with a retention time of between 15 and 25 minutes. The needles were located in various parts of the subjects’ body which included, the feet, hands, shank, the abdomen, and the lower back among other parts for different subjects. The total number of treatment that was ascribed to each endometriosis patient was between nine and sixteen, but each could only receive one to two therapy each week. The acupuncture as an alternative medicine was considered to work by stimulating the sensory system that subsequently prompts the nervous system to reduce the pain. The conclusion of the study revealed that despite the treatment design and subsequent techniques, the clients revealed that acupuncture was effective in reducing the pain related to the condition (Lund & Lundeberg, 2016).
In conclusion, the endometriosis is often accompanied by a painful experience when the treatment used involve side effects. For this reason, a complementary treatment, acupuncture, with no side effects can be used to treat the patients. The studies meant to establish the variation in efficacy in treatment options, should in future focus on the effectiveness of a treatment strategy rather than the design efficacy for individual patients. Different patients perceive pain differently and therefore should not be evaluated on the same scale of establishing pain relief. Additionally, the studies would be more informative if the effectiveness of the treatment was explained based on different age brackets and different stages of the endometriosis.
Analysis
The article stated the purpose, hypothesis and the research question. The relevance of the topic in the nursing field is beyond doubt as conventional medicines are failing the complementary and alternative treatments are gaining prominence. Acupuncture is a form of complementary intervention that can be used to alleviate pain caused by various conditions.
The methods used to gather data was effective as it applied journal articles from reputable online scientific databases. The procedure that was elaborated to establish the conclusion concerning the efficacy of the acupuncture in alleviating pain was clear reliable. However, the method applied only three sources to conclude. I would have used more sources than three to analyze the topic and make a conclusion on the matter.
The data was qualitative trying to show that acupuncture was an effective treatment for pain in endometriosis patients. The results supported the hypothesis and purpose of the study. The results indicated that the use of conventional treated was associated with pain on the patients which can be solved by acupuncture.
The study reviewed literature from three sources with a special focus on young women. The finding will enable the nursing field to consider complementary medication when they fail to get treatment through conventional medicines. The population affected are the young women who could mean those in the productive age. The lesson learned is that alternative medicine can be used to complement the working of conventional medicine.
Article 2: Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
Summary
The problem identified for the study was the rising cases of young women with pelvic inflammatory (PID) disease among the minority population. The purpose of the study was to show that early screening for asymptomatic patients of STI and PID and subsequently treating their conditions is an effective public health preventive strategy. The hypothesis for the study was raising evidence-based awareness among women can help reduce the cases of PID in the minority population.
The variables that were studied in the study include independent the evidence-based awareness and dependent was the PID. The study analyzed date from the National Survey of Family Growth between 2010 and 2006 to establish the proportion of women who had been treated for PID. The data from the evaluation and clinical health study, such as clinical trials, of PID was analyzed by the use of secondary procedures. For instance, the treatment regimen that was issued to both in patent and outpatients was compared. The study sample did not identify the age, but it involved age groups of women considered young (Das, Ronda, & Trent, 2016).
The results indicated that only 5% of women had been treated for PID within that study duration. It also indicated that after seven years of diagnosis with PID at east 21% and 19% had a recurrent infection and infertility issues respectively. The remaining at least 42% reported chronic pelvic pain which they had to endure by using various over the counter medications (Das et al., 2016). The cases were reported to occur in at least one in every woman of the age below 19 years. The most vulnerable age group with as much as twice as the other groups to be diagnosed with PID was those women between the age of 19 years and 21. The reason for this increased susceptibility was due to the chances that they have multiple sexual partners, practice unprotected sex, and have very short monogamous relationships. The biological reason for their increased susceptibility is their perceived large surface area to their volume ratio for them to be infected with PID causing pathogens. The study also revealed that adolescents developed the condition much sooner than mature women. Additionally, the study revealed the trends in the disease among African-American and white women, by showing that the African-Americans were three times likely to develop PID as compared to the white women. Furthermore, people below poverty line and with education below high school level revealed an increased susceptibility to the disease. The level of awareness on PID was an essential factor for women to develop the condition.
The prevention PID involves the prevention of recurrence and prevention of onset. The women who have experienced the first episode of PID in the past have a higher chance of recurrence and therefore the need for awareness to prevent the two situations. Women between the age of 19 and 21 are more susceptible to developing the disease and consequently the need to raise awareness to stop the onset and recurrence of the disease.
Analysis
The study identified the problem the hypothesis and its purpose. All these aspects were vital and relevant to the nursing field. For instance, PID is not only a nursing, public health concern but an important problem among women of the reproductive age.
The study analyzed data the National Survey of Family Growth between 2010 and 2006 only. I found this method quite insufficient as the information used was not a god representation of the entire American population. I would alternatively seek information from different sources or databases such as CIHAHL and PubMed which have peer-reviewed articles to establish the research's conclusion. However, the duration 2010-2006 was adequate to establish trends and conclusion for a given healthcare aspect.
The data was quantitative, and it effectively supported the hypothesis and purpose of the study. Quantitative method explains the figures and how they occurred and what they meant. The technique was useful in establishing trends that would be used to guide action. The data generate revealed the development of the phenome understudy from 2010-2006.
The data that was reviewed only by the National Survey of Family Growth between 2010 and 2006, but also other literature was reviewed. These findings might influence the nursing field to concentrate their services for instance, on prevention among the young women, the poor and those from minority population. The population that will be affected more are the adolescents who are more susceptible to the problem. The recommendation for to design intervention that prevents onset and recurrence of the disease. What lesson draw from this study is that early diagnosis through screening is essential to promote early intervention.
References
Das, B. B., Ronda, J., & Trent, M. (2016). Pelvic inflammatory disease: improving awareness, prevention, and treatment. Infection and drug resistance, 9, 191. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4998032/
Lund, I., & Lundeberg, T. (2016). Is acupuncture effective in the treatment of pain in endometriosis?. Journal of pain research, 9, 157. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27069371
