Fatigue-depression-anxiety Symptom During Progression of Patients With Breast Cancer

Critique Paper Outline Quantitative
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Critique Paper Outline Quantitative
Introduction
The critique article is, “Changes in Fatigue, Psychological Distress, and Quality of Life after Chemotherapy in Women with Breast Cancer” by Pok-Ja Oh and Jung-Ran Cho. The article was published in the Cancer Nursing journal, Volume 43, Jan/Feb Issue 1, 2020, and can be assessed using the doi number: doi.org/10.1097/ncc.0000000000000689. It outlines a quantitative research study conducted by the authors with the aim of identifying variations and interconnections in the fatigue-depression-anxiety symptom cluster along with quality of life during the progression of cancer car among women diagnosed with breast cancer. The title of the article is appropriate since it succinctly captures the key aspects of the study (identifying the variations and interconnections in the fatigue-depression-anxiety symptom cluster as well as quality of life among women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy).
Abstract
The abstract is specific, representative of the article, and in the correct form: it provides the background of the study, objectives, methods, findings, conclusion, and implications for practice in a brief, clear, and accurate manner. Abstracts are not supposed to exceed 250 words and should contain all essential components of the paper. It is also very clear from the abstract captures what the entire paper entails.
Research Problems
The purpose of the article is made obvious in the introduction including why the study chose to investigate the particular symptom cluster associated with chemotherapy treatment. Identifying the variations and interconnections in the fatigue-depression-anxiety symptom cluster along with quality of life during the progression of cancer car among women diagnosed with breast cancer fills a gap in existing literature by revealing the effect of reducing fatigue on psychological well-being of patients during cancer care progression. The findings of the study are relevant to clinical practice because they can inform treatment strategies aimed at reducing the severity of fatigue-depression-anxiety symptom cluster, thereby enhance the quality of life of patients receiving chemotherapy treatment from before treatment to six months’ follow-up. There is therefore a good fit between the research problem and the paradigm within the study was performed. The research objective is worded appropriately and key concepts, variables, as well as population were specified. There was no need for formal hypotheses because the research question for the quantitative study had no relationship with hypothesis formulation and also because the study was exploratory in nature and did not require hypotheses.
Literature Review/Theoretical Framework
The study did not conduct a literature review of previous studies, and this is its biggest failure. However, it identified a theoretical framework that was consistent with the research objective and research paradigm within which the study was performed. The article described a clear theoretical framework for the study: the research was founded on the HRQOL model which comprises of both individual and environmental mediating characteristics as well as critical elements for quality of life. All critical elements are specific to the adverse impacts of chemotherapy treatment and their negative effect on overall quality of life (Oh & Cho, 2018). Consequently, the model was suitable for investigating the causal relationships between biological functions, functional status, symptoms, together with general health perceptions over time and changes with chemotherapy.
On the whole, the article accurately described the primary features of the model and the conceptual basis of the study was easy to understand. The theoretical framework was also used to guide the study methods: for instance, the questionnaires used in the research gathered data on the critical elements of the HRQOL model. Survey instruments used focused on collecting the physical, emotional, and cognitive symptoms of chemotherapy patients in order to identify the reciprocal relationships between the critical elements (Oh & Cho, 2018). The authors also tied the findings of their study to the HRQOL model: the study results supported the notion that physical and emotional symptoms are essential components for quality of life.
Methodology
Research Design
The research design was quasi-experimental in that while it possessed the characteristics of an experimental design, it failed to implement the key ingredient, random assignment. Like a true experiment, the quasi-experimental study design aimed to determine causal relationships between critical elements of the fatigue-depression-anxiety symptom cluster (independent variable) and the impact on quality of life (dependent variable). However, the study did not rely on random assignment because it would have been unethical to apply it in the situation. Given the research nature, the quasi-experimental study design was the most rigorous possible approach. The effects of chemotherapy on fatigue, psychological disorder and overall impact on patients’ quality of life were evaluated before treatment, after treatment, and during 6 months follow-up. A Bonferroni correction was applied for post hoc comparisons (Oh & Cho, 2018). This comparison strategy was effective in illuminating causal links in the fatigue-depression-anxiety symptom cluster and the impact on quality of life. The Bonferri correction was crucial to offsetting the problem of multiple comparisons...