Pohlman`s Article Critique

Pohlman’sArticle Critique

Pohlman’sArticle Critique

Thetitle of Pohlman’s article gives a rough idea of what the study isall about. In the title, the author adds the words ‘an interpretiveinquiry’ to mean that it is a qualitative study. It also talksabout the roles of fathers in attending to their premature childrenand technology importance in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).But the title lacks direction as it can be interpreted in a number ofways because of the wording. The use of ‘and’ in the title couldmean that the article is talking about two unrelated topics: the roleof fathers in raising premature tots and the technological importanceof the NICU. A direct title would have been more appropriate, forexample, the role of fathers in taking care of premature infants andtheir feelings towards technology in the NICU. In the second part ofthe heading – the technological importance of the NICU – it isnot clear which machine the study will investigate since NICUutilizes various important equipments (Pohlman, 2009). For example,the researcher could either be talking about the importance of thecomputer record system used to store information on the inpatientinfants or the isolettes utilized in the general care of prematuretoddlers. Emergence of misinterpretations translates to a weak title.Because the title of the article is too general, it can mislead thereader and weaken the credibility of the research.

Abstract

Theabstract does not provide a good overview of the article because itlacks background information and fails to state the objectives of theresearch. Readers cannot understand what led to the research and thegoals behind the investigation. Nevertheless, the abstract clearlyexplains the methodology, findings, and discussions of the research.The identification of key words is also helpful in providing a briefoverview of the research. Because the tone and voice of the abstractis inconclusive and unclear, this section provides a poor start forthe researcher’s explanations on the study.

Introductionand Problem Statement

Theproblem is stated unambiguously and it is clear to see that fathersare the main focus of the study from the introduction. In the firstparagraph, a dad is angered by the constant presence of onlookerseager to see the miracle of life performed by the incubation machinein the NICU. Although the dad’s premature infant had survived, hewas not happy because people treated the infant as some kind of freakshow saved by NICU’s technology. Because the study is interpretive,the dad’s reaction gives a hint of the problem – it shows how afather views and perceives important technology in the NICUespecially when it is used on their children. This illustration showsthat there is lack of information among the nursing staff on how todeal with fathers and their premature children in the NICU. Thisknowledge gap enables the problem statement build a cogent andpersuasive argument for the research. Although technology increasesthe chances of survival for the premature child and creates joy amongmembers of the medical fraternity, nurses should consider thefeelings of the parent (especially the father who is underresearched) when handling the baby. This study is relevant to thenursing profession as it aims to solve this problem by explaining thereasons behind a father’s reaction to technology in the NICU. Ifnurses know, then they will be better equipped to handle such ascenario in future and avoid antagonizing the father. The researchproblem matches perfectly with the traditional role of nursing as aprofession of care. Nurses are ultimate caregivers for theirpatients, therefore, they should know how to properly handlesituations which may affect the recovery of ill persons and theirfamilies.

Thedownside with the introduction section is that there are no clearlystated research questions. Regardless, the researcher describes howfathers reason as a way to give the study purpose and direction. Keyfindings show that fathers feel the need to always guard their youngones from harm. Because society expects dads to be the heads of thehousehold, men avoid displaying emotions even when their childrensuffer to show that they are strong. As a result, it has beendifficult for researchers to accurately discern the emotions of amale parent. Men tend to keep emotions bottled up inside them. Of thefew investigations done on fathers and reactions to their children’shealth, researchers found out that men are worried by such asituation and they feel vulnerable. There is often a conflict ofemotions when the dad tries to suppress these emotions and act likethey have everything in control.

Insum, this article critique starts with an analysis of a generallyweak title. The title is weak because it is too general and thatgives room for various interpretations. A good title is specific andstraight to the point. The abstract lacks a background and objectivessection giving the article a poor start. Other than the lack ofresearch questions, the introduction is well written as it clearlystates and explains the problem statement.

Reference

Pohlman,S. (2009). Fathering premature infants and the technologicalimperative of the neonatal intensive care unit: An interpretiveinquiry.&nbspAdvancesin Nursing Science,&nbsp32(3),E1-E16.