Paracetamol use in Early Life and Asthma (Essay Sample)

Paracetamol use in early life and asthma: Positivist study approach
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Importance of theories in healthcare
In modern medical practice, the major objective of those funding scientific projects is practical and factual research. In light of this, the scientists, whilst conducting their researches, have to be guided by clearly defined theories, which form the principle philosophies that provides direction for the research. As such, Scotland (2012); Munhall (2012); Gregg et al (2001) assert that theories are the center of practice and research. The theories are not only useful, but have a powerful influence on how the evidence that will be used to support the scientific methods that will be used. Geanellos (2000) also says that unlike using theories in research, using hypothesis is quite explicit. This is explained by the fact that theories give the researcher the power to clarify certain issues in research, such as contrasting methodologies and findings (Trochim, 2001; Scotland, 2012). Furthermore, the theories give the researchers a chance to reveal or obscure new insights.
Definition and importance of scientific paradigm
The term paradigm was introduced in 1960 by a scientist cum historian known as Kuhn (Paton, 2014). In science, paradigm is a common belief and understanding which brings the practitioners together in the field. Paradigms form the framework of discipline, which is used to explain the nature of problems which are to be investigated, the structures of carrying out scientific experiments, the assumptions that can be made and be accepted to guide a study, and other many determining factors that affect the field of research in science (Ponterotto, 2005; Krauss, 2005; Mckenzie, 2006). Generally speaking a paradigm is a widely followed way of approaching a certain area in research.
The positivist philosophy
Crossan (2003) explains the essence of the positivist philosophy by using the example of a scientist using a microscope to perform an examination. According to the explanation, looking through the microscope is a symbol of a positivist objective examination. The process is a technique of finding answers by observing the tiniest component in context, and using visible and reliable data to get answers to questions (Bechtel, 2013; Crossan, 2003). In healthcare practice, various treatments are discovered by observing the characteristics of the illnesses and focusing on the functioning of the body part that needs fixing, assuming that the medicine that will result from the study is universal and its use replicable. Given this, Halfpenny (2014) asserts that the aim of positivism is to investigate and ascertain laws that govern a certain phenomenon. This is particularly by putting focus on the cause and effect. In healthcare, especially medicine, the scientists design experiments to measure phenomena and give explanations for the observations that they make. Using the findings, the researchers make the final decision in form of recommendations, as to whether the laws can be approved or disapproved.
The positivist inquiry paradigm
Tolman (2012) says that scientists who use the positivist approach have a general presumption that there is an objective world which holds a certain truth, discoverable only through observation. This therefore implies that the positivist stance is the archetype of the scientific observation process. In this objective world, there are certain fixed laws which define the relationship of the facts that are observable. Moreover, Tolman (2012); Mckenzie (2006) says that these are the laws that exist with the sole purpose of governing the physical sciences. These laws also govern the social world and how operations are carried in it.
Under the positivist philosophy, structural features of the society are the ones that model the way the society behaves, and the events that take place in it. The positivist and the interpretive approach differ significantly in essence of the subject matter of the social sciences, and that of the natural sciences. Additionally, Krauss (2005) explains that under the interpretive philosophy, people behave actively as they engage in the social situation. When compared with other philosophies and paradigms of research, positivists are most likely to use laboratory experiments where they have the ability to control the variables. In some cases, Krauss, (2005) argues that the positivist, when using the same laboratory experiments, have the power to control the quantitative methods that are used in researching studying the phenomena.
Paracetamol use in early life and asthma: Positivist philosophy in perspective
Paracetamol has for a while been use in treating asthma in children as young as 12 weeks (Lowe wt al, 2010). This use has been extended even as the children grown. According to Lowe et al (2010), about 30% of the children who were treated for asthma using paracetamol are cured by 6 or 7 years. From the findings of his study, it was established that the increasing frequency of the use of paracetamol to treat asthma was not strongly associated with the risk of increased severity of the illness when the children were still young. Whilst conducting the research, it was also established that adjusting the frequency of the respiratory infections led to the elimination of the association, with the odd ratios of 1.08. 0.91 to 1.29. Given this, Lowe et al (2010) concluded that the use of paracetamol for non-respiratory causes was not associated with asthma. Additionally, in children that have a family history of allergic diseases, there was no association between use of paracetamol and risk of later development of allergic disease. This is one of the examples of positivist approach in scientific study.
Using the above example, it can be established that positivist theories in social medicine take some account of context, and tends to see the society in physical terms. While conducting research about use of paracetamol in early life and asthma, separate entities, such as sex and race, are emphasized as separate variables. This means that they are not to be treated as ones having meaning to the entire subject of study. According to the positivist philosophy, cause and effect are perceived as predictable reactions, and not personal choices. This means that using demographics to study the subject will only help to study the behavior of the test subjects, and not explain the same. According to Trochim (2001), it is impossible for positivist dichotomy to effectively bring into perspective ambiguities. Therefore, treatment of various illnesses tends to deal with the individual, and not the context. The medical characteristics of an indi...