Introduction
Technology has found its way to all spheres of people’s life, including health care. Present-day health practitioners should be aware of the latest developments in order to come up with the best treatment solutions for their patients. Using research for analysis and synthesis of scholarly data is one of the most effective ways of finding out details about important healthcare issues. The ability to critique data found via search engines testifies about a nurse’s professional skills and the level of preparation. The purpose of this paper is to explore the use of various databases, knowledge, and wisdom to perform and interpret research.
Research Question
Diabetes is one of the most common diseases with high mortality rates. Healthcare practitioners and scientists are constantly working on finding methods of relieving the symptoms and providing patients with appropriate treatment. However, some of the available medicines are not entirely beneficial for patients, leading to dangerous side effects. To conduct a review of literature, it is necessary to identify a patient-related problem and then look for the most relevant information through web-based search engines.
The research question is “Are the side effects of metformin in diabetes treatment strong enough for practitioners to stop prescribing it to their patients?” Evidence-based practice (EBP) indicates that gastrointestinal infections decrease metformin tolerance in patients with diabetes (Huang et al., 2015a; Huang et al. 2015b). EBP also reports that about one-fifth of diabetic patients treated with metformin develop gastrointestinal side effects (Dujic et al., 2015). Thus, the literature review will be focused on searching evidence of metformin’s adverse effects on patients’ gastrointestinal system.
Databases and Search Words
When performing research, it is necessary to pay thorough attention to databases. For the current search, databases were limited by the subject “health sciences.” Such engines as MEDLINE, Science and Technology Collection, CINAHL, and Agricola were consulted. These are considered as some of the most reliable and extensive healthcare-oriented databases. To obtain the most relevant and trustworthy results, the hits matching the keyword were filtered twice: firstly, by the publication date (within the last five years), and secondly, by the source of publication (peer-reviewed scholarly journals). The following data were obtained for each database with the help of keywords and filters.
Medline
Keywords – metformin gastrointestinal side effects.
Results – 8,119,185 hits.
Inclusion – within the last five years.
Results – 1,754,700.
Inclusion – academic journals.
Results – 1,750,734.
Science and Technology Collection
Keywords – metformin gastrointestinal side effects.
Results – 1,365,658 hits.
Inclusion – within the last five years.
Results – 455,009.
Inclusion – academic journals.
Results – 444,418.
CINAHL
Keywords – metformin gastrointestinal side effects.
Results – 1,061,417 hits.
Inclusion – within the last five years.
Results – 455,009.
Inclusion – academic journals.
Results – 444,418.
Agricola
Keywords – metformin gastrointestinal side effects.
Results – 899,810 hits.
Inclusion – within the last five years.
Results – 239,723.
Inclusion – academic journals.
Results – 239,489.
Converting Information to Knowledge
Upon obtaining data through the search process, it will be possible to formalize the information with the help of knowledge. The initial step will be putting data points into perspective. Further, the analysis will be performed, taking into consideration the specific aspects of the research question and the most relevant sources out of the identified ones. For the present paper, the application of data will be performed with the aim of understanding the side effects of metformin on patients with diabetes.
Conclusion
Conducting research involves several important steps, including identifying keywords or phrases correctly and deciding on filters that will help a nurse to obtain the most reliable and relevant results. Having skills to operate various databases is crucial for nursing specialists. The use of technology is highly helpful in the process of research, which can help to enhance patients’ health and increase their safety during treatment procedures.
References
Dujic, T., Causevic, A., Bego, T., Malenica, M., Velija-Asimi, Z., Pearson, E. R., & Semiz, S. (2015). Organic cation transporter 1 variants and gastrointestinal side effects of metformin in patients with type 2 diabetes. Diabetic Medicine, 33(4), 511-514.
Huang, Y., Sun, J., Wang, X., Tao, X., Wang, H., & Tan, W. (2015a). Asymptomatic chronic gastritis decreases metmorfin tolerance in patients with type 2 diabetes. Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics, 40(4), 461-465.
Huang, Y., Sun, J., Wang, X., Tao, X., Wang, H., & Tan, W. (2015b). Helicobacter pylori infection decreases metformin tolerance in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics, 17(2), 128-133.