Treatment Methods for Patients Diagnosed with Hepatitis C Virus Essay

Looking at treatment methods for patient diagnosed with Hepatitis C virus (HCV), Grogan and Timmons performed a quantitative study to look at patients’ experiences with a clinical specialist (2010). In reviewing this article, further discussion will include the study’s research design, participant assignment, data collection, and results. Focus Question Grogan and Timmons’ article state that their main focus â€Å"is to explore patients’ perceptions of the support they received from the nurse specialist in a HCV outpatient clinic of a National Hepatology Centre† (2010, p. 2871). Three main objectives or outcomes are then clarified, including â€Å"to identify the demographic profile of the study group†¦ to explore patients’ level of satisfaction with information and psychological support received†¦ [and] to determine if demographic variables impact† (2010, p. 2871). This study looked at â€Å"106 patients with a diagnosis of HCV attending a HCV outpatient clinic† (2010, p. 2869) with no intervention identified being that the study’s design format was of a descriptive nature. Research Design As the HCV study performed by Grogan and Timmins was of a quantitative descriptive design, randomized controlled trial was not carried out. The descriptive approach seems appropriate in nature for the aim and objectives being sought out. This study searches to find how patients view a nurse specialist and the treatments received at an outpatient clinic, for which a questionnaire regarding HCV treatment and satisfaction levels seems fitting (Grogan & Timmins, 2010). Repeating research on this topic could help to determine optimal treatment methods for those diagnosed with HCV. Further research could also have the potential to provide insigh... ...acological treatment therapy of HCV patients has been shown to provide psychological support as well as offer a sounding board for questions through the study conducted by Grogan and Timmins (2010). Clinical specialists aid in the patients ease of gaining knowledge such as the disease process itself, prevention on spreading the disease, and ways to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle. Repeated studies need to be conducted to increase validity and reliability of the results provided by Grogan and Timmins, but this study provides a solid base for which to form other studies on HCV and various treatment opportunities. Works Cited Grogan, A., & Timmins, F. (2010). Patients' perceptions of information and support received from the nurse specialist during HCV treatment. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 19(19/20), 2869-2878. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2702.2010.03239