L.King_M03NR.docx - Running Head CRITICAL APPRAISAL OF A...

Running Head: CRITICAL APPRAISAL OF A QUALITATIVE RESEARCH 1
Critical Appraisal of a Qualitative Research Study: Deciding Upon an Induction of Labor
Lacey King
Aspen University
Author Note
HCA 320 Healthcare Policy and Economics
Professor Lookingbill
December 16, 2019
Critical Appraisal of a Qualitative Research Study: Deciding Upon an Induction of Labor

CRITICAL APPRAISAL OF A QUALITATIVE RESEARCH STUDY 2
Introduction
In medicine, healthcare must treat the patient as a whole in order to achieve homeostasis
as the physical, mental, and emotional state of a person all intertwine (Clark, 2015). Research
must reflect perceptions, emotions, and experiences to understand if medicine is effective on
more than just a physical level encouraging qualitative research to be performed (Melnyk &
Fineout-Overholt, 2015). This essay discusses the critical appraisal of the qualitative research
study performed by Jay, Thomas, & Brooks (2018). After analyzation of the study and its
reliability, practical application is discussed in order to identify ways the care experience in labor
and delivery can be improved.
Research Design
A qualitative research study by Jay, Thomas, & Brooks was completed by comparing
responses from 21 different women who were interviewed 3-6 weeks after delivery following an
elective induction of labor (IOL) at 39 weeks (2018). The goal of the research was to increase
knowledge as to how first time mother’s have gathered information as to the induction process,
how they made the decision to participate in an IOL, how they believed the experience would go,
and how the experience went in comparison with their initial thoughts. The evidence produced
by this research is hoped to help first time mother’s increase their access to information, to learn
before the IOL what they may experience, and assist them in their decision making process as to
whether or not an IOL is right for them (Jay, Thomas, & Brooks, 2018).
Research validity. This study published the participant’s age, reason for induction,
ethnicity, occupation, and level of education. All of the interview questions were standardized
and scrutinized prior to the interview to analyze for bias. The focus of the framework of this

CRITICAL APPRAISAL OF A QUALITATIVE RESEARCH STUDY 3
study was to identify that patients who received an IOL made an informed choice. An interview
utilizing open-ended questions was performed. Phrases as “tell me about how you” were utilized
to allow each interviewee to disclose as much or as little information as they preferred (Jay,
Thomas & Brooks, 2018, p. 23). Participants were selected from a postpartum unit in South
England. Each participant was required to be at least 18, English speaking, low risk, nulliparous,
lived with their partner, and had induced at 39 weeks gestation or later. By selecting nulliparious
women, there was no prior experience to reflect upon which could have influenced their decision
to proceed with an IOL or their clinical expectations. The women were contacted by the midwife