The instances of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) increase annually throughout the world. All sexually active individuals are at risk of contracting an STI, regardless of their race, gender, or class (Moura & Ferreira, 2019). The selected research aimed to establish the seroprevalence of hepatitis B and C, syphilis, and HIV in the care of Itinerant Testing and Counselling Center (TTC) patients. This essay analyzes the data collection section of the selected article, highlighting key concepts.
The data collection method used in this study was the documentary technique. The first step in gathering information was retrieving data from the Ambulatory Clinical Teaching Unit (ACTU) database, with 1125 registered subjects (Moura & Ferreira, 2019). The inclusion criterion was TTC itinerant service users that were entered in 2017. Next, the included worksheets were compiled from January to December and put in one spreadsheet, and consolidated. Next, graphs and tables were constructed using Microsoft Excel, and, following this, data analysis was done through simple descriptive statistics. Lastly, the obtained figures were translated to percentages and absolute values for final evaluation and discussion of the findings.
The advantages of the documentary approach are that information is readily available, there is no need for the researcher to be present during the data collection process, and the method is economical because the data is already gathered or published. However, the collected data can be out of context because it was not ordered based on the research goal. Additionally, since the statistics used are published, one cannot tell if they were correctly documented, and this can cause inaccuracies in the data collected. Researchers have to use the available data, which might not align with the subject under study. The vital concepts to consider when reviewing a research’s data collection section are whether the information gathering procedure is well-delineated, performed in a consistent and ethical manner, and includes proper reporting and management of adverse events.
To conclude, the authors employed the documentary method in data collection and analysis. First, they used official statistics gathered by the TTC and stored within the ACTU database. Next, the data was compiled, consolidated, and analyzed using Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. Finally, the derived absolute values and percentages were used for the final evaluation and discussion of the results. Essential concepts to note in research data collection are ethical considerations, authenticity, and credibility of the sources.
Reference
Moura, J.P., & Ferreira, A. (2019). Seroprevalence in Itinerant Tests for Syphilis, HIV, and Hepatites. Journal of Nursing UFPE on Line, 13, e239808. Web.