Final Synthesis of the Evidence: Now What?

Several major activities of the integrative review process have now been completed, which began with a clinical question, followed by a searchable question, and continued with gathering, appraising, and grading the evidence.  At this stage, many nurses ask the critical question of “So what does the evidence mean?”  This third and last symposium presentation will explore the major activity of the integrative review - the final synthesis of the evidence.  The common components of the synthesis process will be examined in detail, as well as the frequently encountered pitfalls of the novice.  Elements integral to the evidence summarization will be discussed and include (a) analyzing the evidence, (b) dealing with conflicting evidence, (c) key summary of the evidence, and (d) targeted evidence-based recommendations.  Feasibility and benefit/risk considerations will also be examined.  Exemplars of integrative reviews seen in the first presentation will be shown to illustrate the iterative steps involved in synthesizing and presenting the evidence.  The presentation will conclude with a final discussion of how integrative reviews can synthesize the known evidence while also reaching independent evidence-based conclusions.  Nurses whose clinical questions triggered the integrative review can then take these final conclusions and translate the results into everyday nursing practice.