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Discussion 1: Epidemiology in the News: Randomized Trials

Discussion 1: Epidemiology in the News: Randomized Trials

Walden University Discussion 1: Epidemiology in the News: Randomized Trials-Step-By-Step Guide

This guide will demonstrate how to complete the Walden University Discussion 1: Epidemiology in the News: Randomized Trials  assignment based on general principles of academic writing. Here, we will show you the A, B, Cs of completing an academic paper, irrespective of the instructions. After guiding you through what to do, the guide will leave one or two sample essays at the end to highlight the various sections discussed below.

How to Research and Prepare for Discussion 1: Epidemiology in the News: Randomized Trials  

Whether one passes or fails an academic assignment such as the Walden University Discussion 1: Epidemiology in the News: Randomized Trials depends on the preparation done beforehand. The first thing to do once you receive an assignment is to quickly skim through the requirements. Once that is done, start going through the instructions one by one to clearly understand what the instructor wants. The most important thing here is to understand the required format—whether it is APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.

After understanding the requirements of the paper, the next phase is to gather relevant materials. The first place to start the research process is the weekly resources. Go through the resources provided in the instructions to determine which ones fit the assignment. After reviewing the provided resources, use the university library to search for additional resources. After gathering sufficient and necessary resources, you are now ready to start drafting your paper.

How to Write the Introduction for Discussion 1: Epidemiology in the News: Randomized Trials  

The introduction for the Walden University Discussion 1: Epidemiology in the News: Randomized Trials  is where you tell the instructor what your paper will encompass. In three to four statements, highlight the important points that will form the basis of your paper. Here, you can include statistics to show the importance of the topic you will be discussing. At the end of the introduction, write a clear purpose statement outlining what exactly will be contained in the paper. This statement will start with “The purpose of this paper…” and then proceed to outline the various sections of the instructions.

How to Write the Body for Discussion 1: Epidemiology in the News: Randomized Trials  

After the introduction, move into the main part of the Discussion 1: Epidemiology in the News: Randomized Trials  assignment, which is the body. Given that the paper you will be writing is not experimental, the way you organize the headings and subheadings of your paper is critically important. In some cases, you might have to use more subheadings to properly organize the assignment. The organization will depend on the rubric provided. Carefully examine the rubric, as it will contain all the detailed requirements of the assignment. Sometimes, the rubric will have information that the normal instructions lack.

Another important factor to consider at this point is how to do citations. In-text citations are fundamental as they support the arguments and points you make in the paper. At this point, the resources gathered at the beginning will come in handy. Integrating the ideas of the authors with your own will ensure that you produce a comprehensive paper. Also, follow the given citation format. In most cases, APA 7 is the preferred format for nursing assignments.

How to Write the Conclusion for Discussion 1: Epidemiology in the News: Randomized Trials  

After completing the main sections, write the conclusion of your paper. The conclusion is a summary of the main points you made in your paper. However, you need to rewrite the points and not simply copy and paste them. By restating the points from each subheading, you will provide a nuanced overview of the assignment to the reader.

How to Format the References List for Discussion 1: Epidemiology in the News: Randomized Trials  

The very last part of your paper involves listing the sources used in your paper. These sources should be listed in alphabetical order and double-spaced. Additionally, use a hanging indent for each source that appears in this list. Lastly, only the sources cited within the body of the paper should appear here.

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Sample Answer for Discussion 1: Epidemiology in the News: Randomized Trials

Throughout the course of this discussion board a summarization of a research study addressing the purpose, study population, length of the trial, data collection methods, outcome measures, results and conclusion, and ethical issues associated with the study. In this posting, a link to the article selected will be provided.  Last, the identification and a discussion of the ethical issues associated with this study.

Cognizant of  the role that training plays when it comes to improving a nurse’s competencies in EBP and thus empowering them to contribute to the development of EBP, here are certain strategies that can be undertaken from both an organizational level, to the larger professional level. At the organizational level, the organization can organize for opportunities where their nurses can get trained on evidence based practice. On the greater professional levels, professional bodies such as the ANA and the ANCC have developed certification program for nurses. By including components of evidence based practice  in the certification exams, this ensures that nurses will prepare and apprise themselves on EBP and thus, in order to earn the certification, they will have to be competent in EBP. Alternatively, the institutions can include a whole different certification for EBP, where nurses will specifically be trained on EBP, tested on the same and thus, their competency will be proven by their certification. This will ultimately improve their ability to participate in the development and implementation of EBP.

A research design article that has been selected for the purpose of this discussion board post is “Omicron Hospitalization Risk 80 Percent Less Than Delta—South Africa Study” written by Jack Dutton which was featured in Newsweek magazine.  The purpose of the study was to discuss the severity of the exposure of the Omicron variant within the South African community.  The population of the study was of the thousands of exposed South African people both vaccinated and unvaccinated as well as the severity of their symptoms with the Omicron variant versus the Delta variant. The length of the trial consisted with a start date in November 2021 to the present.  The data collection methods that had been used was with those who had tested positive with PCR tests as well as with antibody surveys.  These outcome measures revealed that, according to antibody surveys, between 60 and 70 percent of people in the African country may have been infected by COVID previously (Dutton, 2021).  The outcome measures were also not reliable.  But the authors recognized several limitations to the study, including the number of Omicron infections being underestimated and biased towards geographic regions where the type of PCR test they used to detect the new variant was more commonly used (Dutton, 2021).  In the end the results were not reliable in the end with conflicting data.  Our finding of no difference in severity in SGTF [Omicron] compared to non-SGTF infected individuals in the same time period, and the lower risk of severity in SGTF compared to earlier Delta infected individuals, suggests that this reduced severity may be in part a result of high levels of population immunity (due to natural infection and/or vaccination),” the paper said (Dutton, 2021).  In the conclusion of the article the study had seen an increase in Omicron cases within the South African population.  The study did reveal that those who were affected had a prior infection and had presented with less severe symptoms compared to those symptoms with the Delta variant.  Per the study the current variant has now peaked and the cases of infection as well as death toll have started to decrease.  Ethical issues with the article include multiple issues.  The most significant concern is the data is not backed up or sited with contributing sources.  The article is always opinion based mainly versus scientific based as the majority.  There are again, many examples of studies that were done where the investigators influenced the outcome of the study by either conscious, or sometimes unconscious selection of controls in cases (Laureate Education (Producer), 2012).  In these cases of the study, the author needs to be able to verify their facts with the appropriate data.  The study would have benefitted from a cross-sectional study that was able to have comparative data to be able to have more validity with their results.

The following link is the direct link to be able to read and analyze the study in Newsweek magazine.

Omicron Hospitalization Risk 80 Percent Less Than Delta—South Africa Study (newsweek.com)

References

Dutton, J. (2021, December 22). Omicron Hospitalization Risk 80 Percent Less Than Delta—South Africa Study. Newsweek. Retrieved from https://www.newsweek.com/omicron-hospitalization-risk-80-percent-less-delta-south-africa-study-1662181

Laureate Education (Producer). (2012). Epidemiology and population health: Experimental studies [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Click here to ORDER an A++ paper from our MASTERS and DOCTORATE WRITERS: Discussion 1: Epidemiology in the News: Randomized Trials

Sample Answer 2 for Discussion 1: Epidemiology in the News: Randomized Trials

Week 4 Forum 1: Analytic Epidemiology Designs: Experimental

     The experimental design derives knowledge about the causes of disease by exercising control over who will receive the exposure

Discussion 1 Epidemiology in the News Randomized Trials
Discussion 1 Epidemiology in the News Randomized Trials

and the level of the contact; the investigator is more confident in the cause and effect association than in observational design (Friis &

Sellers, 2020). An online news article in U.S. News (https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2021-07-23/drug-shows-promise-in-easing-dementia-linked-psychosis) reported on clinical trial drugs to help with dementia psychosis.

Purpose

     The United States had approved the medication Nuplazid (pimavanserin) to treat hallucinations and delusions associated with

Parkinson’s (Norton, 2021). The purpose of the research study was to find out if the medication could help with hallucinations related

to dementia.

Study Population

            800 patients with dementia suffering from delusions and hallucinations

Length of the trial

            The trial was supposed to last for 26 weeks. After 18 weeks, a clear difference emerged ((Norton, 2021, para. 23).

Data collection

     Data collection was in different stages: the initial phase, after five weeks, at 12 weeks, and the final trial phase for patients who responded to the medication. Those patients who responded were randomly split into two groups, one receiving the drug and one receiving a placebo.

Outcome measures

     The outcome measures were to decrease the psychiatric and behavioral symptoms such as agitation, aggression, delusion, and hallucinations are the most difficult for patients and caregivers (Norton, 2021).

Results and Conclusions

     After five weeks, 351 of the patients without medication still had symptoms. They all were given Nuplazid for 12 weeks. 62% responded well to the medication invention. Once the patients were in two groups, 28% of the randomly assigned placebo patients still suffered from delusion or hallucination compared to 13% on Nuplazid after 18 weeks (Norton, 2011).

Ethical Issues Associated with the Study

     Ethics is a system of moral principles dealing with values relating to human conduct concerning the rightness and wrongness of motives and the results of such activities (Dictionary.com, 2021). An example of an ethical violation is the Tuskegee Study. In the

Tuskegee Study, 600 African American men never gave informed consent to participate, were misled about the project’s purpose, and were never offered an effective treatment once it was available (Friis & Sellers, 2020).

     The study did not mention the placebo group receiving Nuplazid after psychosis decreased in patients receiving the drug. This action could be unethical considering the heavy caregiver burden and safety risk psychosis can cause. Research has shown that family caregivers of people with dementia are at greater risk for anxiety, depression, and poorer quality of life than caregivers of people with other conditions (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], n.d.). False beliefs, frightening or dangerous behaviors, and auditory hallucinations (Norton, 2021) that dementia patients may experience could put them and their caregiver at a safety risk.

Discovery of Research Study by using Randomized Design

     The most significant discovery is the high regard randomized study designs received in epidemiology studies. According to Dr. Hull (Laureate Education, 2021), randomized designs are considered the gold standard because of the minimizing bias of random picking versus consciously picking. The study has more validity.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Alzheimer’s Disease and Healthy Aging. CDC.gov. https://www.cdc.gov/aging/caregiving/alzheimer.htm

Dictionary.com. (2021). Ethics. In. Random House. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/ethics

Friis, R. H., & Sellers, T. (2020). Epidemiology for public health practice (6th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning. https://online.vitalsource.com/reader/books/9781284221718/epubcfi/6/98[%3Bvnd.vst.idref%3Dxhtml_13_chapter05_06]!/4/2[ch5-6]/12/6/1:460[s%20m%2Cay%20]

Laureate Education (Producer). (2021). Epidemiology and population health: Experimental studies [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Norton, A. (2021, July 23). Drug shows promise in easing dementia-linked psychosis. U.S.News. www.usnews.com/new/health-news/article/2021-07-23/drug-shows-promise-in-easing-dementia-linked-psychosis

Sample Answer 3 for Discussion 1: Epidemiology in the News: Randomized Trials

The chosen news is from Medical News Today which discussed a randomized trial of the use of venom from a honeybee sting’s effects on arthritis (Rees, 2021). For over 3,000 years there has been venom therapy used because of the chemical components (Rees, 2021). A main component is melittin, which can provide antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving, and anti-cancer properties (Rees, 2021). Furthermore, with these properties available, it may be a useful treatment for arthritis. The honeybee’s venom is transferred via sting into the intended inhabitants. The purpose is to take to bee venom to save for the future use or allow an intentional bee sting to a subject.

A uniqueness of this study is that both animal and human studies were completed. Rats were artificially generated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Four groups of rats were created, including a bee venom applicated group, anti-arthritis drug, Methotrexate, induced group, saline injected group, and the final group was not induced with RA nor a treatment (Rees, 2021). The length of trial was not stated. The sample size was 20 rats, findings and conclusion presented the venom therapy can relieve RA pain and inflammation. This particular trial was completed on animals, so the consistency of applicably being presented to humans is not clear (Rees, 2021). Ethical complications of this use of animals can be controversial use of animal participants and the use of not completing actions, or use of placebo, can be viewed as unethical (Bhide et al., 2018, p. 385).

The human component of the randomized trial included an eight-week trial, with 120 people. They were split into two groups, consisting of one group with the anti-arthritis drug treatments of Methotrexate and Celecoxib, and one group receiving five to 15 bee stings every other day (Rees, 2021). Outcome measurement showed no significant difference between the two groups, as both showed a decrease in arthritic symptoms, including length of morning stiffness and joint stiffness and swelling (Rees, 2021). Results show unreliability as they were not comparable to the treatments versus a placebo (Rees, 2021).

Ethical issues that can be associated with the trial is the induction of a foreign component of bee venom into its subject, the human. The components of the venom can be subject to ethical considerations for safety reasons. The venom from female to male bees have different variations with their developmental and differentiation components (Surm & Moran, 2021). This can alter certain toxins exposed to subjects. Though, use of comparing one drug or treatment against another is ethical, the use of the placebo impacts if not considered ethical (Bhide et al., 2018, p. 385). Another ethical complication is the possibility of anaphylactic shock occurring from an allergic reaction to the venom. This could be avoided by allowing an allergy test to predetermine reactions. Lastly, the non-life-threatening side effects of venom can include “severe pain, headache, cough, muscle weakness, vertigo, and jaundice” (Rees, 2021). Rendering an unsafe or undesired outcome.

The article link: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/bee-stings-for-arthritis#research

References

Bhide, A., Prakesh, S., & Acharya, G. (2018). A simplified guide to randomized controlled trials.

Methodology in Clinical Epidemiological Research in Obstetrics and Gynecology, 97(4), 380-387. https://doi.org/10.1111/aogs.13309

Rees, M. (2021). What is the research behind bee stings for arthritis? Medical News Today.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/bee-stings-for-arthritis#research

Surm, J. & Moran, Y. (2021). Insights into how development and life-history dynamics shape the

evolution of venom. Evolution & Development, 1, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13227-020-00171-w