Nursing Scholarly Sources Guide

Systematic review or metanalysis of Randomized controlled trials

(secondary)

Evidence based clinical guidelines based on systematic reviews

(secondary)

Systematic Review:

A systematic review of RCTs is a summary of the medical literature that uses explicit and reproducible methods to systematically search, critically appraise, and synthesize multiple RCTs.

Example: Efficacy and safety of repeated oral sucrose for repeated procedural pain in neonates: A systematic review

Meta-analysis:

A meta-analysis of RCTs is the statistical analysis of a large collection of data and analysis from independent RCTs that address the same question for the purpose of integrating the findings.

Example: Effect of non-pharmacological interventions on pain in preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit: a network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Randomized controlled trial

(primary)

Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT):

A RCT is an experiment in which participants are randomly assigned to an experimental group or a control group. The experimental intervention and its alternative(s) are clearly defined and their implementation is closely managed by the researcher. 

Example: Effect of Sucrose Analgesia, for Repeated Painful Procedures, on Short-term Neurobehavioral Outcome of Preterm Neonates: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Controlled trial without randomization (Quasiexperimental study) 

(primary)

Controlled trial without randomization (Quasiexperimental study):

A controlled trial without randomization (also known as a quasiexperimental study) is a study in which subjects are assigned to an intervention or alternatives by a method that is not random. The researcher does define and manage the alternatives, which could be treatment and control or two or more interventions.

Example: Effectiveness of Oral Sucrose on Level of Pain among Infants after Pentavalent Immunization

Case-control or cohort study

(primary) 

Case Control Study:

A case control study involves identifying patients who have the outcome of interest (cases) and matching and comparing them with individuals who have similar characteristics, but do not have the outcome of interest (controls) to see if these two groups differed with regard to the exposure or contributing factors. 

Example: Risk factors associated with prolonged hospital stay in neonatal intensive care: A case-control study

Cohort Study:

A cohort study  involves the identification of a group (cohort) of individuals with specific characteristics in common and follows them over time to gather data about exposure to factors and the development of the outcome of interest. Prospective cohort studies enroll individuals and then collect data at many intervals. Retrospective cohort studies (sometimes called population-based clinical studies) use an existing longitudinal data set to look back for a temporal relationship between exposure factors and outcome development. 

Example: Utilization of analgesics, sedatives, and pain scores in infants with a
prolonged hospitalization: A prospective descriptive cohort study

Systematic review of qualitative or descriptive studies

(secondary)

Systematic review of qualitative or descriptive studies:

A systematic review of qualitative or descriptive studies is a summary of the medical literature that uses explicit and reproducible methods to systematically search, critically appraise, and synthesize multiple qualitative and/or descriptive studies. 

Example: The experiences of acute non-surgical pain of children who present
to a healthcare facility for treatment: A systematic review protocol

Qualitative study

(primary)

Descriptive study

(primary)

Case study, case report, or case series

(primary)

Qualitative study:

Qualitative research is used to examine subjective human experience by using non-statistical methods of analysis and gathers data on human behavior to understand why and how decisions are made.

Example: Nonpharmacological inventions practiced by neonatal nurses: The example of two hospitals in turkey

Descriptive study:

Descriptive studies use a variety of methods to observe existing natural or man-made phenomena without influencing it (no researcher intervention).  Data are gathered, organized and analyzed to provide an in-depth look at processes, characteristics and patterns and can be quantitative and/or qualitative.

Example: Nurses' perceptions of pain assessment and management practices in neonates: A cross‐sectional survey

Case Study, Case Report, or Case Series:

A case study is a descriptive study of one (case study or case report) or a series of subjects (case series) where the unfolding course of events (disease progression, therapies, outcomes, etc.) is described in detail. This study design is used to provide a detailed description of an uncommon disease or condition, a unique situation, or the introduction of a new technique. 

Example: Missed opportunities: A case study of barriers to the delivery of palliative care on neonatal intensive care units

Opinion or Consensus:

Expert committee reports, Narrative and literature reviews, and Opinions from authorities

Example: 

• Quantify issue/problem 
• By way of generating numerical data or data that can be transformed into usable statistics

• Explores issue/problem
• By way of generating narrative data (words) 

• Structured 
• Common methods: forms, surveys (online, paper, mobile, kiosk), face-to-face and/or telephone interviews, longitudinal studies, online polls, and systematic observations

• Vary using unstructured or semi-structured techniques
• Common methods: focus groups (group discussions), face-to-face interviews, and participation/observations

• To quantify attitudes, opinions, behaviors, and other defined variables
• Uses measurable data to formulate facts and uncover patterns 

• Gain and understanding of underlying reasons, opinions, perceptions, and motivations
• Provide insight into the problem, helps to develop ideas, of hypotheses for potential quantitative research 
• Uncover trends in thought and opinions 

• Larger sample to generalize results from 

• Typically small; participants selected to fulfill a given quota; ceases at data saturation