How the Two Articles Support the Chosen Nurse Practice Issue

Critical Appraisal: Quantitative Research Studies
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Critical Appraisal: Quantitative Research Studies
Background
The article, “Effect of an Intensive Lifestyle Intervention on Glycemic Control in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes a Randomized Clinical Trial” by Johansen et al. (2017) investigates whether an intensive lifestyle intervention can achieve equivalent glycemic control as compared to standard care and whether it also leads to a reduction in glucose-lowering medication in patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. The study intended to solve the challenges of diabetes medication such as potential adverse drug interactions, distresses, lowered quality of life, and high economic costs by studying the possibility of safer and cheaper lifestyle interventions to maintain glycemic control to relatively equivalent levels as medications. Consequently, the study is significant to nursing and the research question because it sought to determine the feasibility of physical activity as the first line of intervention among patients with type 2 diabetes.
On the other hand, the article “Exercise Training Decreases Pancreatic Fat Content and Improves Beta Cell Function regardless Of Baseline Glucose Tolerance: A Randomized Controlled Trial” by Heiskanen et al. (2018) investigates the effects of exercise training on pancreatic fat content together with beta-cell function in healthy and pre-diabetic or type 2 diabetic participants, over and above, whether it results in similar responses irrespective of baseline glucose tolerance. The study intended to improve understanding of the effects of physical activity on pancreatic fat, a common symptom among patients with impaired glucose tolerance, especially people with type 2 diabetes. In addition, it sought to determine how physical activity can help lower insulin resistance and dysfunction of the pancreatic beta cells. Therefore, this study is significant to nursing and the research question because it fills a gap in current knowledge about the link between exercise and improved glucose tolerance among patients with type 2 diabetes.
How the Two Articles Support the Chosen Nurse Practice Issue
The two articles will help answer the PICOT question (In patients with type 2 diabetes (P), does exercise (I) result in better glycemic control (O)compared to drug therapy (C) as a primary intervention?) by providing critical insights into how to exercise, as a lifestyle intervention, can help achieve comparable glycemic control to standard care in patients with type 2 diabetes. For instance, while Johansen et al. (2017) determined that intensive lifestyle intervention did not result in equivalent glycemic control with standard medication, it suggested potential benefit as the first line of intervention when treating patients with type 2 diabetes. On the other hand, while the study by Heiskanen et al. (2018) did not explicitly compare exercise training to medication in terms of glycemic control levels, it revealed that it was an effective way to reduce ectopic fat accumulation by extension, the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Johansen et al. (2017) randomly assigned participan...