Introduction
Acute Otitis Media (AOM) is a commonly occurring ear infection, affecting the middle ear. The infection is common among infants and young children. The infection is generally treated with antibiotic meditation to affected children. The nursing community seeks to improve patient care to frame nursing policy with the help of evidence based nursing. The evidence found in the research and credibility of sources will confirm whether there will be a change in policy.
Review of Sources and Evidence based Classification
American Academy of Pediatrics and American Academy of Family Physicians. (2004.) Clinical practice guideline: Diagnosis and management of acute otitis media. Web.
This is a filtered resource. It is found in the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians, serving the purpose of an important guideline. The paper is a presentation of research related to ‘Acute otitis Media’ with several recommendations on the type of treatment.
AAP and AAFP (2004) give a comprehensive practice guideline for the clinical management of AOM. The resource has information on diagnosis and course of treatment and, therefore, is a useful source in analyzing the time factor in initiating treatment for AOM. They contain information that fall into the context area of diagnosis and management of AOM.
Block, S. L. (1997). Causative pathogens, antibiotic resistance and therapeutic considerations in acute otitis media. Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 16, 449–456.
This is a filtered resource. The paper serves as a guideline for infectious pediatric diseases and is based on preceding research in the domain. However, the source is old and does not include current evidence based theories and practices related to AOM. The paper discusses several pathogens and does not focus on only one pathogen which can confirm the thesis through empirical research.
Block (1997) talks about the various pathogens associated with the development of AOM and the corresponding medications including relative use and effectiveness. This is important information for diagnosis and treatment.
Kelley, P. E., Friedman, N., Johnson, C. (2007). Ear, nose, and throat. In W. W. Hay, M. J. Levin, J. M. Sondheimer, & R. R. Deterding (Eds.), Current pediatric diagnosis and treatment (18th ed., pp. 459–492). New York: Lange Medical Books/McGraw-Hill.
This is a filtered resource of evidence based summaries. The resource provides an overview of the information on the use of antibiotics for microbial infections.
McCracken, G. H. (1998). Treatment of acute otitis media in an era of increasing microbial resistance. Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 17, 576–579.
This is also a filtered resource found in an authentic journal. The resource specifically discusses the treatment of AOM. However, the resource dates back to 1998, making it more than 5 years and unsuitable for use in current research.
Results of the Interviews
Results from interviews with parents are an unfiltered resource. The interviews are only information of parents’ experiences and give a firsthand account of the information.
However, the interview with parents is important for nursing research for the formulation of policy concerning the watchful approach to treatment for children with AOM. Parents are the care takers of children and choose to cure Acute Otitis Media using antibiotics. As such, gathering information from parents to gauge the dynamics of parent care and inform policy makers with regard to the provision of parent education.
Interviews of Parents of pediatric patients presenting with AOM is primary research evidence because. Interviews give first hand information on the issues related to the time parents take to seek treatment when children show signs of infection.
Ethical Issues involved in the ongoing Clinical Research
The ethical principals governing clinical research are as follows (Perlman, 2008):
- Respect of Persons – Informed consent must be obtained from the participants by the researcher.
- Beneficence – The research must ascertain the increase of benefits and decrease of harm to the participants by the research study conducted.
- Justice – The research should be conducted with fair distribution of benefits and risks and must therefore include a fair selection of the vulnerable populations in the research.
Clinical Practice Guidelines
In treating children with Acute Otitis Media, the clinician should identify the level of the infection and confirm its onset and inflammation to the middle ear (AAP & AAFP, 2004).
- Clinicians should include an assessment of pain in diagnosing AOM. Pain relief treatment should be prescribed to patients.
- Clinicians must observe children through follow up examinations to ascertain certainty of cure,
- Clinicians should re-examine children in case of no response to treatment to reduce risk of further infection.
Improving Nursing Practice in the Clinic
An important tool used for the research of this paper is the “clinical practice guideline” resource. The research can be used as a fundamental tool for practice. Diagnosing the problem correctly is an important aspect of treatment. The problem can be treated with appropriate observation of the child’s level of infection. Compliance with guidelines for better patient outcomes is an important aspect of improving nursing practice. Appraisal of knowledge through evidence based clinical research findings is also a crucial aspect of enhanced nursing practice (White & Brown, 2011).
References
American Academy of Pediatrics and American Academy of Family Physicians. (2004). Clinical practice guideline: Diagnosis and management of acute otitis media. Web.
Block, S. L. (1997). Causative pathogens, antibiotic resistance and therapeutic considerations in acute otitis media. Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 16, 449–456.
Kelley, P. E., Friedman, N., Johnson, C. (2007). Ear, nose, and throat. In W. W. Hay, M. J. Levin, J. M. Sondheimer, & R. R. Deterding (Eds.), Current pediatric diagnosis and treatment (18th ed., pp. 459–492). New York: McGraw-Hill McCracken, G. H. (1998). Treatment of acute otitis media in an era of increasing microbial resistance. Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 17, 576–579.
Perlman, D. (2008.) Ethics in Clinical Research. Temple University School of Pharmacy, Philadelphia.
White, K. M. & Brown, S.D. (2011.) Translation of Evidence into Nursing and Healthcare Practice. New York: Springer Publishing Company.