Research Assignment
Introduction
In this essay I will be critiquing two research studies which examine the impact infant massage classes have upon the health and wellbeing of mothers and their infants. This topic was chosen in order to begin to assess the evidence base for its current inclusion in Health Visiting Services.
Infant massage has been used as a health promotion tool for several years. I am currently teaching it as part of a Postnatal Support Programme and in my experience parents appear to enjoy and value the activity. However, on discussion with colleagues it has become apparent that health professionals have a varied and limited knowledge of the evidence base for this intervention.
During the search for the two papers it became evident that there is, in fact, a lack of recent research in this area, consequently, the chosen research papers are older than recommended.
For clarity each study will be critiqued separately, with reference to the other when appropriate, followed by discussion of the two studies in the conclusion.
For the purposes of the critique I have used a combination of Valente’s critical analysis tool (2003), and the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme ( 2010). For additional guidance and to ensure depth in my critique, I have included some aspects of the framework for critiquing health research, devised by Caldwell et al (2011)
Paper 1- Infant Massage improves mother-infant interaction for mothers with postnatal depression (Onozawa et al 2000)
The first paper for analysis in this assignment is a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT), the title of which suggests that it aims to test the researcher’s hypothesis that ‘Infant massage improves mother-infant interaction for mothers with postnatal depression’.
The RCT is the ‘gold standard’ research design for assessing the effectiveness of an intervention and it is used to develop an evidence base for practice. The RCT is an established research method in Medicine; however it is now becoming more
In this essay I will be critiquing two research studies which examine the impact infant massage classes have upon the health and wellbeing of mothers and their infants. This topic was chosen in order to begin to assess the evidence base for its current inclusion in Health Visiting Services.
Infant massage has been used as a health promotion tool for several years. I am currently teaching it as part of a Postnatal Support Programme and in my experience parents appear to enjoy and value the activity. However, on discussion with colleagues it has become apparent that health professionals have a varied and limited knowledge of the evidence base for this intervention.
During the search for the two papers it became evident that there is, in fact, a lack of recent research in this area, consequently, the chosen research papers are older than recommended.
For clarity each study will be critiqued separately, with reference to the other when appropriate, followed by discussion of the two studies in the conclusion.
For the purposes of the critique I have used a combination of Valente’s critical analysis tool (2003), and the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme ( 2010). For additional guidance and to ensure depth in my critique, I have included some aspects of the framework for critiquing health research, devised by Caldwell et al (2011)
Paper 1- Infant Massage improves mother-infant interaction for mothers with postnatal depression (Onozawa et al 2000)
The first paper for analysis in this assignment is a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT), the title of which suggests that it aims to test the researcher’s hypothesis that ‘Infant massage improves mother-infant interaction for mothers with postnatal depression’.
The RCT is the ‘gold standard’ research design for assessing the effectiveness of an intervention and it is used to develop an evidence base for practice. The RCT is an established research method in Medicine; however it is now becoming more