The broad long-term objective of this project is development of a prototype to organize widely scattered patient-related nursing research in areas of clinical specialization. To this end, a feasibility study is proposed to synthesize a decade of patient-related oncology nursing research using integrative review and meta-analysis strategies.
The specific aims of the study are: (1) to organize methodological and substantive study characteristics and outcomes into patterns, trends, gaps, and future research directions; (2) to assess nursing intervention effectiveness and symptom management associated with nursing diagnoses encountered in oncology nursing practice; and (3) to evaluate the synthesis of patient-related oncology nursing research as valid for clinical utility in the specialty area and as a prototype for information synthesis in other areas of nursing specialization. The importance of the project outcomes for nursing practice are: a systematically derived organization of knowledge; a synthesis of research characteristics and results in the specialty; a characterization of nursing intervention effectiveness and symptom management research by human responses, self-care deficit, and nursing diagnoses encountered in the specialty; a compendium of published and unpublished studies; a basis for updating knowledge; a prototype for organization of patient-related research; and a tested adaptation of review strategies to synthesize qualitative and quantitative research. The design is descriptive with application of the prototype designed by the co- investigators to a selected clinical specialty. The prototype consists of: elements of the research process according to conventions and rules of operation of integrative research review and meta-analysis; use of key methodologic and content consultants; and generic materials (eg. coding form, glossary) for adaptation in a specialty area. Data analysis consists of descriptive quantification of study characteristics; measures of effect size, practical importance (BESD); variability, interrelationships, and differences; and determination of post-hoc power for single studies. The evaluative component consists of judgments regarding adherence to standards, validity of findings, and utility of the research synthesis as a prototype. The co-investigators will coordinate application of the prototype in collaboration with the oncology specialty team, assisted by consultants in library science, statistics, oncology nursing, integrative review, meta-analysis, and review methodology.
| Smith, M C; Stullenbarger, E (1995) An integrative review and meta-analysis of oncology nursing research: 1981-1990. Cancer Nurs 18:167-79 |
| Agustsdottir, A; Holcombe, J; Wright, P et al. (1995) Publication of patient-related oncology nursing research. Oncol Nurs Forum 22:827-30 |
| Smith, M C; Holcombe, J K; Stullenbarger, E (1994) A meta-analysis of intervention effectiveness for symptom management in oncology nursing research. Oncol Nurs Forum 21:1201-9;discussion 1209-10 |
| Smith, M C; Stullenbarger, E (1991) A prototype for integrative review and meta-analysis of nursing research. J Adv Nurs 16:1272-83 |
