HPR460 Week 3 – Assignment 2

Describe the hypothesis and/or research question posed by your selected study.
Formulating a hypothesis is among the most important steps in research. A hypothesis
is a statement that expresses the researcher’s prediction of what is being evaluated by
research. A hypothesis helps in guiding the collection of data by the researcher. A hypothesis
expresses the supposed relationship between two variables that are being tested by the
researcher. The selected study is titled Risk of Smoking and Receipt of Cessation Services
Among Veterans Affairs Patients With Mental Disorders. The researchers hypothesized that
individuals with various mental illnesses, PTSD, and substance use disorder were unlikely to
have access to smoking cessation strategies. While the patients may be interested in quitting,
they may have a hard time doing it. They aimed to ensure that they study the case of mentally
ill veterans affairs patients.
Research questions dictate what the research seeks to answer. Through developing
clear and concise research questions, researchers are able to come up with an effective plan to
ensure that they plan for challenges that may affect the research process. With good research
questions, it is easier to analyze various uncertainties. The selected study was guided by three
questions, namely, what is the prevalence of tobacco use in VA patients with mental illness,
PTSD and other substance use disorders? What is the receipt of cessation services in VA
patients with mental illness? PTSD and other substance use disorders, and what demographic,
clinical, and treatment factors have an impact on the receipt of cessation services?
Summarize the methodology used to address the research question
The study involved an analysis of the 2007 Veterans Health Administration (VHA)
Outpatient Survey of Health Experiences of Patients (SHEP). SHEP, a self-completed survey,
was administered to 432,099 veterans that were selected randomly. The selected patients had

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received outpatient care within the VHA medical system in the year 2007. Data obtained
through SHEP was linked to VA administrative data. The dependent variables in the study
included smoking status. The respondents were classified based on their smoking status.
Three categories were used, namely current smoker, former smoker, and never smoked. In
categorizing the respondents into the three categories, the research was able to evaluate the
prevalence of smoking in VA patients. The study analyzed the number of times current and
former smokers had visited the healthcare facilities with a view of quitting smoking. Patients
who stated that they had never visited the healthcare facilities in order to quit smoking were
characterized as having never accessed smoking cessation services. Patients who answered
that they had visited healthcare facilities to quit smoking were characterized as having
received cessation services.
The major independent variable in the study was mental disorder diagnosis. The
analysis of the dependent variable was done through ICD-9 codes that were linked to the
SHEP data. The codes help in verifying the diagnoses. Standard forms are used for every
encounter with VA patients. The identification of patients with mental health disorder was
based on at least one inpatient hospitalization or two outpatient encounters. The diagnoses
included disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and other disorders. In the VA
patient population, there are other disorders, including PTSD and substance use disorders,
that were identified using the ICD-9 codes. Lining ICD-9 codes and SHEP data was useful in
analyzing the research questions.
Describe the sampling methods used to obtain the study sample.
The sampling method used is random sampling. Random sampling is a technique that
ensures that every participant has an equal probability of being included in the study sample.
Random sampling helps in ensuring that there is no bias in the selection of the sample

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(Bhardwaj, 2019). In addition, random sampling is also preferred owing to the ease of the
sampling procedure. The population is not divided into subsets, and no procedures are
undertaken before the sampling is done. Randomness is the only governing principle in the
selection process (Bhardwaj, 2019). A sample that is representative can be obtained from a
large population. In the current study, the SHEP survey was mailed to random veteran
patients. A total of 432,099 surveys were sent, where 237,838 individuals responded. In the
final analysis, a total of 224,193 individuals were included.
Describe the measurement methods used to assess the research question.
The measurement involved a bivariate analysis of various variables in the research. A
bivariate analysis was conducted on smoking rates as well as receipt of smoking services.
The bivariate analysis was done on all mental disorders as well as patients who did not have
any sort of mental disorder. A multivariate analysis was also conducted to analyze the data to
analyze smoking as well as the receipt of cessation services.
Explain the ethical considerations discussed by the author(s).
Research has to consider various ethical guidelines. Every scientific research has to
consider various ethical issues. Researchers must seek to ensure that they promote ethics in
scientific research. Ethics should be a major consideration in any research. The author
discusses receiving institutional review board approval for the current study. In addition, in
such research, important ethical considerations include informed consent and privacy of the
information collected. The participants needed to be informed about the study. The data
obtained from the study participants also needed to be treated with the utmost confidentiality.
Identify the author(s) conclusion(s).
The authors conclude that most VA patients with mental disorders had received
cessation services. Cessation services are being extended to patients with mental health

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disorders, PTSD, and substance use disorder. However, their rates of smoking remained
high. Smoking rates for this group of patients continues to be higher than that of the general
population. The group was also at an increased risk of being the recipient of fewer cessation
services. There is an urgent need to disseminate cessation services.
Describe the limitations of the study
Limitations of a study can be obtained from the study design. The study relied on
simple random sampling. The procedure could result in missing population segments, and
this could weaken the research. A different technique is needed in order to capture all the data
from different subsets.

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References

Bhardwaj, P. (2019). Types of sampling in research. Journal of the Practice of
Cardiovascular Sciences, 5(3), 157.
Turliuc, M. N., & Candel, O. S. (2019). Ethical issues in couple and family research and
therapy. In Ethics in Research Practice and Innovation (pp. 226-242). IGI Global.