Pain management in end-of-life care for Aboriginal peoples
Research problem
McGrath (2006) argues that there is a lack of data on pain management when it comes to Australian Aboriginal peoples. Notably, the author claims that there is enough data on end-of-life care for Caucasians, which has led to the development of effective techniques in this field. The author also states that it is important to explore this issue as these data can help health care professionals work out techniques to provide adequate care to the particular group of patients, i.e., Australian Aboriginal peoples.
Conceptual framework
The present research touches upon a broader topic, i.e., class analysis. Thus, McGrath (2006) focuses on a particular group of patients, i.e., Australian Aboriginal peoples. The researcher explores available data on pain management and end-of-life care provided to this specific group of people.
Study Design
The study design is comprehensive. The major aim of the study is to collect data on end-of-life care. Mcgrath (2006) interviews a significant number of samples. Thus, McGrath (2006) interviewed ten patients, 19 carers, 11 Aboriginal health care workers, 30 health care professionals. Notably, the author resorted to the help of 2 interpreters as some of the participants did not speak English.
The method is chosen addresses the major aim, i.e., the author wants to explore people’s attitudes towards the services given. The data were coded, and then these data were analyzed thematically. This enabled the researcher to obtain the necessary data and come to specific conclusions. However, it is possible to note that the study could be improved.
The researcher should have interviewed more patients and carers. Admittedly, it is important to pay attention to the voice of this group of people to improve services provided. Another downside of the study is that the majority (87.5%) of the participants are females. The data could be more relevant if the ratio were different; i.e., the number of females and males should have been equal.
Findings
McGrath (2006) claims that Aboriginal peoples tend to complain and express their pain less. The author also notes that there is “a fear of Western medicine,” there is also “fear of administration, side effects and ramifications of medications” (McGrath 2006, p. 1).
As for pain management, the author states that health care professionals try to develop trust, provide emotional support and provide information “to decrease fear” (McGrath 2006, p.2). The findings are rather justified as the right questions to the significant number of people were asked. Of course, it could be better to increase the number of participants (especially male participants) to obtain more data.
Conclusions
McGrath (2006) concludes that the findings of the survey provide the necessary insights which can help develop end-of-life care for Aboriginal peoples. The research highlights existing gaps in the field and some effective techniques used by health care professionals. The conclusions are relevant as the effective method is used and data obtained confirm the conclusions made.
Broader implications
The present research is relevant to health professionals as well as policy makers in Australia as it helps work out effective techniques to improve end-of-life care for Australian Aboriginal peoples. The present survey provides insights into end-of-life care. It can be regarded as a good extension and support to the study by Stuart and Nielsen (2011) who focus on caregiving to Aboriginal peoples using the cases of two Aboriginal nurses.
Aboriginal health care professionals
Research problem
The present study by Stuart and Nielsen (2011) dwells upon experiences of Aboriginal nurses who provided caregiving to Aboriginal peoples. The researchers argue that Aboriginal nurses can better understand (and therefore address) Aboriginal peoples’ needs, so it is important to increase the number of registered Aboriginal nurses.
The authors provide a brief literature review claiming that Aboriginal peoples distrust Western medicine and that there is a lot of misunderstanding between patients and healthcare professionals due to cultural differences and language gap (Stuart and Nielsen 2011, p. 97).
Conceptual framework
The present study has a conceptual framework. It addresses the needs of specific groups of people, i.e., Aboriginal peoples. The researchers argue that Aboriginal nurses can better understand Aboriginal patients.
Study design
The researcher is based on the previous research of the two authors. One of the strengths of the study is that it is based on personal experiences of the authors. This design can be quite effective as an illustration to a more detailed study. However, it could be better to include other people’s experiences. Thus, researchers should have interviewed more Aboriginal nurses.
Of course, it could be better to note the exact number of patients. At that, the number of patients should be more than fifty. It could also be effective to interview Aboriginal people from all over the country. Besides, the number of patients should be significant to collect the necessary data to come up with relevant conclusions.
Findings
Stuart and Nielsen (2011) claim that there is a lack of Aboriginal nurses in Australia. The researchers state that many registered Aboriginal nurses made their job choice due to negative experiences associated with their relatives’ diseases.
The authors also claim that many Aboriginal peoples suffer because they are reluctant to address non-Indigenous Australians. The findings answer the research question. However, it is impossible to state that they are justified as the researchers do not mention such important data as the number of participants.
Conclusions
As far as the conclusions of the present research are concerned, it is important to note that they are not completely relevant. The number of participants interviewed is unclear. The questions asked are also unknown. The conclusions made can seem implausible as there is not enough statistical support.
The study provides several personal accounts on the matter rather than a particular survey. However, it is necessary to add that in terms of the method used and the findings revealed the conclusions are logical. The conclusions made are easy to accept, though more data are still necessary to confirm the conclusions on a larger scale.
Broader implications
The present study can be regarded as a supplementary source to the study by McGrath (2006). The latter provides a detailed description of the research pointing out the number of participants, the nature of questions asked, etc. The study by McGrath (2006) is grounded, whereas the study by Stuart and Nielsen (2011) is more like an illustration of particular cases.
The authors give personal accounts. Of course, these accounts are important as they help create a complete picture. The present study can be of use to officials, health care professionals, and policymakers as it helps understand what exactly is important for Aboriginal peoples.
Reference List
McGrath, P. 2006, ‘The biggest worry: research findings on pain management for Aboriginal peoples in Northern Territory, Australia‘, Rural and Remote Health 6.549. Web.
Stuart, L. & Nielsen, A. M. 2011, ‘Two Aboriginal registered nurses show us why black nurses caring for black patients is good medicine’, Contemporary Nurse 37.1, pp. 96-101.