Research Proposal Draft Discussion

Research Proposal Draft Discussion

Research Proposal Draft Discussion

Opioids are generally used for pain relief and include fentanyl, morphine, and tramadol. However, their non-medical use, extended use, misuse, and administration without medical supervision can contribute to opioid dependence and other health problems. The purpose of this assignment is to present a research proposal draft for the identified problem.

Background and Significance of the Problem

Opioid overdose has been a growing concern, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The evidence shows that the Covid19 pandemic augmented the use and abuse of opioids in different states across the US. This was attributed to Covid-19 restrictions that limited access to healthcare services for Americans (Ghose et al., 2022). Besides, Covid-19 restrictions like curfews, social distancing, and shutting of recreational facilities heightened the opioid overdose problem. The problem is significant due to its health impacts, leading to increased ED visits, accidental deaths, and opioid dependence. The typical feature of opioid dependence is a strong internal drive to take opioids, which manifests in an impaired ability to control its use (Ghose et al., 2022). This leads to an individual prioritizing opioid use over other activities and persistently using opioids in spite of harm or adverse consequences to one’s health and overall well-being.

Statement of the Problem and Purpose of the Study

Opioid overdose during the Covid-19 pandemic was attributed to declined mental health, increased social isolation, job losses, and decreased access to treatment. The worst effect of opioid overdose has been observed in low-income, urban neighborhoods, affecting minority ethnic groups, particularly Black and Hispanic communities (Ghose et al., 2022). A solution is needed to offset the health effects of the opioid overdose problem in the affected populations. This includes administering FDA-approved opioid antagonists like Naloxone. Increasing the awareness and availability of Naloxone is essential to the public health response to the opioid epidemic (Strang et al., 2019). The purpose of this study is to develop a system that can facilitate the rapid administration of medications that would counteract the effects of an overdose.

Research Questions

1. Can rapid administration of medications that reverse opioid action counteract the effects of the opioid overdose epidemic?
2. Can distributing Naloxone to opioid abusers and people at risk of opioid overdose reduce the health effects of overdose?
3. Can incorporating drug abuse prevention into schools and organizations’ training, curriculum, and policies curb the opioid epidemic?

Hypothesis: Research and Null

Alternative hypothesis: Rapid administration of opioid antagonists significantly counteracts the health effects of an overdose.

Null hypothesis:  Rapid administration of opioid antagonists does not counteract the health effects of opioid overdose.

Identifying and Defining Study Variables

The independent variable for this study is the administration of an opioid antagonist. The dependent variables are opioid dependence, opioid-related ED visits, and opioid-related overdose deaths.

Operationalize Variables

            Administration of opioid antagonists will entail administering Naloxone to persons with opioid dependence and those at risk of opioid overdose. Naloxone will be made accessible in local drugstores. The dependent variable of opioid dependence will be measured by evaluating reports of patients diagnosed with opioid dependence in any healthcare setting. Opioid-related ED visits and overdose deaths will also be analyzed to measure the impact of naloxone administration in reducing ED visits and overdose deaths.

Conclusion

Opioid overdose was a growing public health concern during the Covid-19 pandemic. It was caused by Covid-19 restrictions, job losses, and poor mental health. Administration of opioid antagonists to persons with opioid dependence and those at risk is the proposed solution to counteract the effects of opioid overdose. It is anticipated that administering antagonists like Naloxone will curb the health effects of opioid overdose and lower opioid overdose-related deaths.

Research Proposal Draft Discussion References

Ghose, R., Forati, A. M., & Mantsch, J. R. (2022). Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Opioid Overdose Deaths: a Spatiotemporal Analysis. Journal of urban health: bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine, 99(2), 316–327. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-022-00610-0

Strang, J., McDonald, R., Campbell, G., Degenhardt, L., Nielsen, S., Ritter, A., & Dale, O. (2019). Take-home naloxone for the emergency interim management of opioid overdose: the public health application of an emergency medicine. Drugs, p. 79, 1395–1418. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40265-019-01154-5

ORDER NOW FOR AN ORIGINAL PAPER ASSIGNMENT: Research Proposal Draft Discussion

Research Proposal Draft

Write a 2–3-page paper addressing the sections below of the research proposal.Below find suggested headings you should use to organize your paper. The headings are in correct format (placement).These headings will help you address each item on the rubric .

Methodology

Controlling Extraneous Variables

Extraneous Variables (and plan for how controlled).
Instrument Appropriate for Research Question

Description of Instrument

Validity and reliability estimates.

Instruments: Description, validity, and reliability estimates, which have been performed (on a pre-established measure). Include plans for testing validity and reliability of generating your own instrument(s).
Description of Intervention

Description of the Intervention
Data Collection Procedures

Data Collection Procedures

You must proofread your paper. But do not strictly rely on your computer’s spell-checker and grammar-checker; failure to do so indicates a lack of effort on your part and you can expect your grade to suffer accordingly. Papers with numerous misspelled words and grammatical mistakes will be penalized. Read over your paper – in silence and then aloud – before handing it in and make corrections as necessary. Often it is advantageous to have a friend proofread your paper for obvious errors. Handwritten corrections are preferable to uncorrected mistakes.

Use a standard 10 to 12 point (10 to 12 characters per inch) typeface. Smaller or compressed type and papers with small margins or single-spacing are hard to read. It is better to let your essay run over the recommended number of pages than to try to compress it into fewer pages.

Likewise, large type, large margins, large indentations, triple-spacing, increased leading (space between lines), increased kerning (space between letters), and any other such attempts at “padding” to increase the length of a paper are unacceptable, wasteful of trees, and will not fool your professor.

The paper must be neatly formatted, double-spaced with a one-inch margin on the top, bottom, and sides of each page. When submitting hard copy, be sure to use white paper and print out using dark ink. If it is hard to read your essay, it will also be hard to follow your argument.

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS

Discussion Questions (DQ)

Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, include a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words.
Successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source.
One or two sentence responses, simple statements of agreement or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words.
I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses.

Weekly Participation

Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately.
In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies.
Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work).
Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week.

APA Format and Writing Quality

Familiarize yourself with APA format and practice using it correctly. It is used for most writing assignments for your degree. Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for APA paper templates, citation examples, tips, etc. Points will be deducted for poor use of APA format or absence of APA format (if required).
Cite all sources of information! When in doubt, cite the source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation.
I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition.

Use of Direct Quotes

I discourage overutilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Masters’ level and deduct points accordingly.
As Masters’ level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content.
It is best to paraphrase content and cite your source.

LopesWrite Policy

For assignments that need to be submitted to LopesWrite, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me.
Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes.
Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own?
Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score.

Late Policy

The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies.
Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances.
If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect.
I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension.
As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading.

Communication

Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me:
Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class.
Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.