Related Issues
Over time and depending on the severity of a particular case of diabetes, a form of nerve damage called neuropathy can actually occur resulting in either chronic pain in the toes, arms, legs, feet, or arms of a person or a complete loss of sensation felt like either a form of weakness or numbness in the affected area (Ziegler, et al. 2009). Early identification and intervention are necessary in order to determine the extent of the pain, whether it has other underlying causes, and to administer some form of treatment whether in the form of prescribed medication or even surgery (Bair, et al. 2010).
Unfortunately, one of the problems to diagnosis is the fact that many individuals suffering from discomfort or pain (often the elderly) at times deny feeling any pain whatsoever in order to exude an image of health and wellness while in reality they are in severe pain and are barely able to function (Bair, et al. 2010). It is based on this that this paper will develop a questionnaire and utilize it on a variety of respondents currently afflicted by diabetes. It is the goal of this paper to develop an effective method of questioning so as to facilitate better practices of intervention so as to prevent a patient’s condition from worsening.
Questions
- Would you say that within the past two weeks you have been experiencing random moments of slight pain in different areas of your body?
- If you have experienced sudden pain as a result of your condition would you say that it has been escalating or abating?
- What area on your body would you say gives the greatest amount of discomfort on a weekly/daily basis?
- Do you experience pain as a result of doing particular activities?
- Would you say that after resting for a few hours the pain you experienced has abated or is it still present?
Strategy in Gaining Participants
It is the belief of this paper that the best strategy for gaining respondents is to go to various clinics and hospitals within the local area and ask people that have been diagnosed with diabetes if they would be willing to answer a short questionnaire in order to facilitate better medical practices in the future. Other potential strategies include the use of surveymonkey.com, a free online survey maker, wherein through the use of online social media such as Facebook and Google Plus various respondents can be contacted and asked to fill out the survey online. It is expected that by utilizing such methods a sufficient number of respondents will be reached resulting in a greater degree of accuracy regarding the survey results.
Planned Methodology When Questionnaires are being given
In the case of face-to-face interactions, when asking people to fill out the questionnaire what will be done is to first ask the person regarding their past experiences as a diabetic. This will include their personal history with the condition, their methods of coping with it, and how it has affected their lifestyle.
The reason for doing this is quite simple, by talking more about how the disease has affected the patient in the past the interviewer can gain an insight into the level of pain they suffered regarding the disease and can somewhat diagnose the accuracy of their questionnaire based on these statements. It must also be noted that by talking to patients in this particular manner the interviewer eases the patient in trusting the interviewer more thus resulting in the likelihood of more accurate surveys. In the case of online survey taking, a short video clip posted on YouTube will be provided to participants in order to get them to feel that they are having a face to face interview.
Experience in Administering the Questionnaire
Overall, I would have to say that the experience of administering the questionnaires was an insightful one wherein I was able to learn the extent of pain the people suffering from diabetes went through on an almost daily basis. From this experience, I was able to determine that each individual has a different way in which they want others to perceive the level of pain that they are going through, and as such, they express this at times in rather vague and at times inaccurate results due to their belief that they “must look strong”.
Participant Feedback
When filling out the questionnaire most participants did say that the questions were fair however they did indicate that question 5 implied that they were already experiencing pain while the previous 4 questions could be assumed as asking whether they had pain or not. Thus, question 5 needed to be revised based on their feedback
Revised Questions
- Would you say that within the past two weeks you have been experiencing random moments of slight pain in different areas of your body?
- If you have experienced sudden pain as a result of your condition would you say that it has been escalating or abating?
- What area on your body would you say gives the greatest amount of discomfort on a weekly/daily basis?
- Do you experience pain as a result of doing particular activities?
- In the instances that you do feel pain, would you say that after resting for a few hours the pain you experienced has abated, or was it still present?
Revised Plan
The plan is considered sound and as such there will be no revision done.
Reference List
Bair, M. J., Brizendine, E. J., Ackermann, R. T., Shen, C. C., Kroenke, K. K., & Marrero, D. G. (2010). Prevalence of pain and association with quality of life, depression , and glycaemic control in patients with diabetes. Diabetic Medicine, 27(5), 578-584.
Ziegler, D., Rathmann, W., Dickhaus, T., Meisinger, C., & Mielck, A. (2009). Neuropathic pain in diabetes, prediabetes and normal glucose tolerance: The MONICA/KORA Augsburg surveys s2 and s3. Pain Medicine, 10(2), 393-400.