Evidence based practice critique and application Dissertation

Evidence based practice critique and application - Dissertation Example The aforementioned article reports the findings of a randomized, double blinded, placebo controlled monotherapy trial which was conducted with the aim of elucidating the efficacy and the safety profile of the pharmacological agent Pregabalin in patients who were suffering from Fibromyalgia (Arnold, et al., 2008). Moreover, as a co-primary objective, this study also aimed at determining the impact of Pregabalin on other parameters and symptoms of fibromyalgia, in addition to pain, in patients in which a significant improvement in pain was found (Arnold, et al., 2008). The study assessed the outcomes of a group of 750 patients suffering from fibromyalgia (as diagnosed using the American College of Rheumatology criteria for fibromyalgia) who were randomly assigned to two different groups, viz. those who received placebo and those who received Pregabalin in three different doses (i.e. 300 mg/dL, 400 mg/dL and 600 mg/dL) twice a day for a cumulative period of 14 weeks (Arnold, et al., 200 8). ... pain score and the PGIC and FIQ scores, amongst patients who received Pregabalin as compared to those who received the placebo (Arnold, et al., 2008). Moreover, all the three tested doses of Pregabalin were found to be efficacious in improving sleep and were not found to be associated with any major adverse affects. Thus, the study concluded that the use of Pregabalin as a monotherapy for the alleviation of the symptoms of fibromyalgia was both safe and efficacious over a dose range of 300-600mg/dL, over a treatment period of upto 14 weeks (Arnold, et al., 2008). Evaluation of study: In the article â€Å"A 14-week, Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Monotherapy Trial of Pregabalin in Patients with Fibromyalgia,† the authors have provided sufficient background information regarding the disorder, its prevalence, common manifestations and possible etiological factors, in the introduction section. Moreover, they have also shed light on the mechanism of action of the pr oposed drug to be used in this study, i.e. Pregabalin. However, with regard to the literature review, in my opinion, the authors have conducted an inadequate literature review and have not reported the findings of the relevant studies. They have just cited a single study and have not explored the topic adequately. Moreover, since the study focuses on monotherapy for fibromyalgia, the authors should have shed some light on the available treatment options for this disorder and whether any treatment regimes which propose the use of a combination of multiple drugs exist. They should have also justified their choice of monotherapy and the pharmacologic agent being used and should have discussed whether this option is the drug of choice for