Evidence-based practice makes use of many methods of inquiry to guide practice, from randomized clinical trials to expert opinion. Recently, there is a growing recognition of the importance of including qualitative research findings to provide a comprehensive view of the evidence to support nursing practice. This program will demonstrate how qualitative studies can be systematically reviewed to determine how findings from multiple qualitative studies addressing a specific clinical problem can guide nursing care options. A series of seven questions adapted from the work of Popey, Rogers, and Williams (1998) are presented as a means of framing the systematic analysis of qualitative studies for a particular clinical problem as follows: 1) Does the research, as reported in each study being reviewed help one understand the meaning of a disease from the patient’s point of view? 2) Does the research design in the individual studies adapt to the circumstances and issues of the real-life social settings of patients experiencing the disease? 3) Is the sample in each study appropriate to produce the type of knowledge necessary to understand the disease from the patients’ point of view? 4) Is the description provided in each study detailed enough to allow the researcher or reader to interpret the meaning and context of patients’ experiences with a particular disease? 5) How does the research move from a description of the data, through quotations or examples, to an analysis and interpretation of the meaning and significance of a disease to patients? 6) What claims are being made for the generalizability of the findings to other types of illnesses or other groups of patients? 7) How well can the different sources of knowledge gained from each of the different studies about patients’ experiences with a particular disease be compared and contrasted and combined to produce a larger meaning?
Back to How to Teach Evidence-Based Practice: That is the Question!
Back to International Evidence-Based Practice Preconference
Sigma Theta Tau International
9 July 2003