WRITINGSHARE

Medical Article Critique and Analysis: Death Certificates

I am looking for help with interpretation of the following questions as related to the medial literature article “Death Certificates are Not Reliable: Revivification of the Autopsy,” by Ravakhah, Keyvan.

Check before you submit. Get Turnitin Score Report in 15 Minutes.

Don't risk the 'Red' score. Get the exact same Turnitin report your professor uses. Join 50,000+ students who submitted their essays with confidence this semester.

http://journals.lww.com/smajournalonline/Fulltext/2006/07000/Death_Certificates_Are_Not_Reliable_.10.aspx

After review of this research study, please answer the following questions:

  1. What is the main purpose of the study?
  2. What statistical test(s) or epidemiological concepts do the author(s) use?
  3. Based on the knowledge of epidemiology and statistics, what questions about these tests do you have? Did the article use everything correctly?
  4. Would you do anything differently from a presentation of results, testing or measurement of variables point of view?
  5. What real-life conclusions can be drawn from the study? What does the study mean for patients or nursing practice?
    © BrainMass Inc. brainmass.com March 22, 2019, 12:26 am ad1c9bdddf
    https://brainmass.com/health-sciences/epidemiology/500930
    Solution Preview

This is a very interesting article, especially from my viewpoint as a pathologist.

When reviewing articles, I begin by reading the abstract and look for the answers to the following questions (not very different from your assignment). What are they trying to find out with this study? Did they use the appropriate study methods to answer the question? How would these findings apply to my situation/my patients/my practice? If I think it is worth reading further (or if the assignment requires I read further), I highlight key points that answer my questions above, make notes/questions in the margins, and look for problems in reasoning/calculations/use of data. It is important to remember that just because something is published in a journal, does not mean you should completely trust the results.

After reviewing the article, there are some problems from a medical point of view. Some of this may just need more explanation in the article, or perhaps they weren’t considered. But let’s go through the article, step-by-step to better understand this research study.

Introduction. First, they point out the importance of cardiovascular disease as it relates to deaths in the US. Then they note that cause of death data is taken from death certificates (not autopsy reports or clinical notes). The next paragraph explains how death certificates are completed. All of this introductory material is important to know in order to interpret their results. The next paragraph (starting with Medical information page 729) could have a better explanation of the autopsy/death certificate process. When a patient dies and an autopsy is requested, the death certificate needs to be filled out before the body can leave the hospital. Some doctors fill it out right away while some wait for the preliminary autopsy report. The preliminary report is done after the body has been dissected, but prior to any additional studies such as microscopic examination. So they are correct in saying that complete autopsy results are not available at the time of completion of the death certificate. As for the reasons that autopsy numbers have declined, many of the reasons listed are matter of opinion that is a topic for a different discussion, and I’m not sure why it was included in this paper. Finally, they discuss the value of autopsy and how physicians should work together to provide an accurate cause of death. Great, let’s get to the meat of the paper.

Materials …

Get Quick Assignment Writing Help – No Plagiarism Guarantee!

Online assignment writing service website that provide university students with original and quality academic essays, term papers, admission essays, annotated bibliographies, reports, scholarship essays, personal statements, research proposals, research papers, projects, presentations, dissertation, theses, movie reviews, Book reviews, application papers, among others.

Having trouble with a homework question? Our skilled assignment writers are here to provide answers to all types of queries, ranging from fundamental mathematics to cutting-edge rocket science!

PLACE YOUR ORDER
Share your love