Critical Appraisal
The research follows the standard method of undertaking clinical research. The research provides an introduction that gives the background of the research. The introduction elicits interest 1in the research topic. It provides various statistics on the prevalence of surgical site infection (SSI). In addition, the introduction provides some of the effects of SSI on the recovery of the patient. The introduction shows the relevance of the research in treating SSI. Research on SSI is a potentially dangerous practice. SSI is a fatal side effect of cardiac surgery. Therefore, it is critical to ensure that the research is ethically viable. It would be unethical to undertake research that would lead to the death of the patients. The research gets the nod of the institutional review board (IRB). The researchers ensured that they do not place the sample under dangerous medical conditions just to obtain data for the research. The researchers are simply comparing the effectiveness of two treatment methods in avoiding postoperative SSI.
In modern clinical research, the research needs to obtain consent from the patients. Patients would not like researchers to treat them as guinea pigs to obtain data for the research. Researchers should not include patients who do not consent to take part in the research. In the research in question, there is no evidence that the researchers obtained consent from the patients. The research only explains the treatment procedures used on the study groups. The research compares the data of patients who received treatment at the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam. In addition, there is no evidence of coercion, as the patient visited the medical facility to get treatment.
Privacy is very important not only in medical research but also in the medical profession in general. The researchers classified the study groups depending on whether they had odd or even dates of birth. This helped in concealing the identity of the members of the study group.
The research included only patients who had risk factors that doctors could easily manage or if the medical condition of the patient necessitated surgery. Researchers followed the standard procedures that help in protecting the patient during and after surgery. The research compared two methods that are widely accepted in preventing SSI after cardiac surgery. Therefore, the research does not increase the risk of patients suffering from SSI. The study would help in determining the risk factors for SSI after cardiac surgery. This would help in preventing postoperative SSI. Preventing postoperative SSI would reduce rates of mortality and morbidity after cardiac surgery.
Critical analysis
Clinical research is an important field in medicine. It helps in providing a clear understanding of various medical phenomena. Most medical breakthroughs are due to extensive clinical research. However, medicine is a very sensitive field. It touches on the lives of people and animals. Therefore, it is critical to ensure that clinical research takes into consideration the unique needs of its sample. The research should in no way harm the sample used in the research. If a clinical study uses human samples, researchers should ensure that they obtain consent from the individual before the beginning of the research, and maintain the privacy of the individuals.
Medical ethics demands that clinical studies should obtain consent from the human sample. In the clinical research in question, there is no evidence that the researchers obtained consent from the sample. This is contrary to the clinical research protocol. From the research, it is clear that the patients do not know that they are taking part in clinical research. However, the research follows the accepted standard procedures of preventing postoperative SSI. Therefore, the research does not expose the patients to higher risks of suffering from SSI.
Failure to obtain consent from patients makes the research a liability. The researchers face the risk of expensive lawsuits from the patients. In addition, despite violating the rights of the patients, the research does not come up with a conclusive finding on the risk factors of SSI.