Assignment task:
Once you have selected a PICOT question discuss your strategies for conducting a systematic search/review of the literature in order to answer your question. Explain how you will critically appraise the literature you have selected to determine the best evidence for this assignment.
Expectations
Initial Post:
- Citations: At least one high-level scholarly reference in from within the last 5 years
- Please cite in the post as well and include at least one reference.
"In elderly patients with diabetes undergoing hip fracture repair, how does a preoperative diabetes education program compare to standard diabetes teaching in terms of improving HbA1c levels, at three months post-operative?"
The topic of elderly patients with diabetes undergoing hip fracture repair has been chosen as a clinically relevant research topic due to the implications related to the additional healthcare needs that are associated with both diabetes and hip fractures in the elderly. Diabetes is one of the leading causes of death amongst elderly patients in Australia (WHO, 2019), and the mortality rate of elderly patients with diabetes undergoing hip fracture surgery is particularly high, due to the associated body systemic changes, such as increased inflammation (Krzanowska et al., 2018). The implications of diabetes and hip fracture surgery put elderly patients at a higher risk of comorbidities due to the lack of control of blood glucose levels post-operatively (Krzanowska et al., 2018). It is important to study this topic further to identify interventions that reduce the risk of postoperative complications and to improve patient outcomes.
The evaluation of the potential outcomes and efficacies of a preoperative diabetes education program is important, as this would provide a comprehensive intervention that could be used to improve patient outcomes. The use of the PICOT format aids in creating a clear and focused research question, ensuring that all necessary information to assess the efficacy of the intervention is addressed. In this case, the population, intervention, comparison, outcome, and time frame for the study are all clearly identified.
This research question is important, as it will assess the efficacy of an intervention that could improve patient outcomes. It is well known that diabetes reversal often requires a lifestyle change, and a preoperative diabetes education program could be used as a tool to support these changes (Trinh & Lipps, 2015). The effectiveness of the intervention could be determined by assessing the patient's HbA1c levels three months post-operatively, providing results that are applicable to elderly patients with diabetes undergoing hip fracture repair.
The research question proposed brings together a clinically relevant topic with an evidence-based intervention to assess if a preoperative diabetes education program is effective in improving patient outcomes in this population. The utilization of the PICOT format provides a clear structure to the research question, which is important for assessing the efficacy of the intervention being studied. Further research is thus needed to assess the efficacy of preoperative diabetes education programs and determine if the patient outcomes can be improved.