lit review example nursing

Nursing: How to Write a Literature Review

• Traditional or Narrative Literature Review

Getting started

1. start with your research question, 2. search the literature, 3. read & evaluate, 4. finalize results, 5. write & revise, brainfuse online tutoring and writing review.

• RESEARCH HELP

The best way to approach your literature review is to break it down into steps.  Remember, research is an iterative process, not a linear one.  You will revisit steps and revise along the way.  Get started with the handout below that provides an excellent overview.  Then move on to the specific steps recommended on this page.

• Literature Review Handout

Source: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

• Begin with a topic.
• Understand the topic. 
• Familiarize yourself with the terminology.  Note what words are being used and keep track of these for use as database search keywords. 
• See what research has been done on this topic before you commit to the topic.  Review articles can be helpful to understand what research has been done .
• Develop your research question.  (see handout below)
• How comprehensive should it be? 
• Is it for a course assignment or a dissertation? 
• How many years should it cover?
• Developing a good nursing research question Handout. Reviews PICO method and provides search tips.

Your next step is to construct a search strategy and then locate & retrieve articles.

•  There are often 2-4 key concepts in a research question.
• Search for primary sources (original research articles.)
• These are based on the key concepts in your research question.
• Remember to consider synonyms and related terms.
• Which databases to search?
• What limiters should be applied (peer-reviewed, publication date, geographic location, etc.)?

Review articles (secondary sources)

Use to identify literature on your topic, the way you would use a bibliography.  Then locate and retrieve the original studies discussed in the review article. Review articles are considered secondary sources.

• Once you have some relevant articles, review reference lists to see if there are any useful articles.
• Which articles were written later and have cited some of your useful articles?  Are these, in turn, articles that will be useful to you? 
• Keep track of what terms you used and what databases you searched. 
• Use database tools such as save search history in EBSCO to help.
• Keep track of the citations for the articles you will be using in your literature review. 
• Use RefWorks or another method of tracking this information. 
• Database Search Strategy Worksheet Handout. How to construct a search.
• TUTORIAL: How to do a search based on your research question This is a self-paced, interactive tutorial that reviews how to construct and perform a database search in CINAHL.

The next step is to read, review, and understand the articles.

• Start by reviewing abstracts. 
• Make sure you are selecting primary sources (original research articles).
• Note any keywords authors report using when searching for prior studies.
• You will need to evaluate and critique them and write a synthesis related to your research question.
• Consider using a matrix to organize and compare and contrast the articles . 
• Which authors are conducting research in this area?  Search by author.  
• Are there certain authors’ whose work is cited in many of your articles?  Did they write an early, seminal article that is often cited?
• Searching is a cyclical process where you will run searches, review results, modify searches, run again, review again, etc. 
• Critique articles.  Keep or exclude based on whether they are relevant to your research question.
• When you have done a thorough search using several databases plus Google Scholar, using appropriate keywords or subject terms, plus author’s names, and you begin to find the same articles over and over.
• Remember to consider the scope of your project and the length of your paper.  A dissertation will have a more exhaustive literature review than an 8 page paper, for example.
• What are common findings among each group or where do they disagree? 
• Identify common themes. Identify controversial or problematic areas in the research. 
• Use your matrix to organize this.
• Once you have read and re-read your articles and organized your findings, you are ready to begin the process of writing the literature review.

2. Synthesize.  (see handout below)

• Include a synthesis of the articles you have chosen for your literature review.
• A literature review is NOT a list or a summary of what has been written on a particular topic. 
• It analyzes the articles in terms of how they relate to your research question. 
• While reading, look for similarities and differences (compare and contrast) among the articles.  You will create your synthesis from this.
• Synthesis Examples Handout. Sample excerpts that illustrate synthesis.

Regis Online students have access to Brainfuse. Brainfuse is an online tutoring service available through a link in Moodle. Meet with a tutor in a live session or submit your paper for review.

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Good Place to Start: Citation Databases

Interdisciplinary Citation Databases:

A good place to start your research  is to search a research citation database to view the scope of literature available on your topic.

TIP #1: SEED ARTICLE Begin your research with a "seed article" - an article that strongly supports your research topic.  Then use a citation database to follow the studies published by finding articles which have cited that article, either because they support it or because they disagree with it.

TIP #2: SNOWBALLING Snowballing is the process where researchers will begin with a select number of articles they have identified relevant/strongly supports their topic and then search each articles' references reviewing the studies cited to determine if they are relevant to your research.

BONUS POINTS: This process also helps identify key highly cited authors within a topic to help establish the "experts" in the field.

Begin by constructing a focused research question to help you then convert it into an effective search strategy.

• Identify keywords or synonyms
• Type of study/resources
• Which database(s) to search
• Asking a Good Question (PICO)
• PICO - AHRQ
• PICO - Worksheet
• What Is a PICOT Question?

Seminal Works: Search Key Indexing/Citation Databases

• Google Scholar
• Web of Science

TIP – How to Locate Seminal Works

• DO NOT: Limit by date range or you might overlook the seminal works
• DO: Look at highly cited references (Seminal articles are frequently referred to “cited” in the research)
• DO: Search citation databases like Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar

Web Resources

What is a literature review?

A literature review is a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of published information on a subject area. Conducting a literature review demands a careful examination of a body of literature that has been published that helps answer your research question (See PICO). Literature reviewed includes scholarly journals, scholarly books, authoritative databases, primary sources and grey literature.

A literature review attempts to answer the following:

• What is known about the subject?
• What is the chronology of knowledge about my subject?
• Are there any gaps in the literature?
• Is there a consensus/debate on issues?
• Create a clear research question/statement
• Define the scope of the review include limitations (i.e. gender, age, location, nationality...)
• Search existing literature including classic works on your topic and grey literature
• Evaluate results and the evidence (Avoid discounting information that contradicts your research)
• Track and organize references
• How to conduct an effective literature search.
• Social Work Literature Review Guidelines (OWL Purdue Online Writing Lab)

What is PICO?

The PICO model can help you formulate a good clinical question. Sometimes it's referred to as PICO-T, containing an optional 5th factor. 

Search Example

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Literature Review Overview

What is a Literature Review? Why Are They Important?

A literature review is important because it presents the "state of the science" or accumulated knowledge on a specific topic. It summarizes, analyzes, and compares the available research, reporting study strengths and weaknesses, results, gaps in the research, conclusions, and authors’ interpretations.

Tips and techniques for conducting a literature review are described more fully in the subsequent boxes:

• Literature review steps
• Strategies for organizing the information for your review
• Literature reviews sections
• In-depth resources to assist in writing a literature review
• Templates to start your review
• Literature review examples

Literature Review Steps

Graphic used with permission: Torres, E. Librarian, Hawai'i Pacific University

1. Choose a topic and define your research question

• Try to choose a topic of interest. You will be working with this subject for several weeks to months.
• Ideas for topics can be found by scanning medical news sources (e.g MedPage Today), journals / magazines, work experiences, interesting patient cases, or family or personal health issues.
• Do a bit of background reading on topic ideas to familiarize yourself with terminology and issues. Note the words and terms that are used.
• Develop a focused research question using PICO(T) or other framework (FINER, SPICE, etc - there are many options) to help guide you.
• Run a few sample database searches to make sure your research question is not too broad or too narrow.
• If possible, discuss your topic with your professor. 

2. Determine the scope of your review

The scope of your review will be determined by your professor during your program. Check your assignment requirements for parameters for the Literature Review.

• How many studies will you need to include?
• How many years should it cover? (usually 5-7 depending on the professor)
• For the nurses, are you required to limit to nursing literature?

3. Develop a search plan

• Determine which databases to search. This will depend on your topic. If you are not sure, check your program specific library website (Physician Asst / Nursing / Health Services Admin) for recommendations.
• Create an initial search string using the main concepts from your research (PICO, etc) question. Include synonyms and related words connected by Boolean operators
• Contact your librarian for assistance, if needed.

4. Conduct searches and find relevant literature

• Keep notes as you search - tracking keywords and search strings used in each database in order to avoid wasting time duplicating a search that has already been tried
• Read abstracts and write down new terms to search as you find them
• Check MeSH or other subject headings listed in relevant articles for additional search terms
• Scan author provided keywords if available
• Check the references of relevant articles looking for other useful articles (ancestry searching)
• Check articles that have cited your relevant article for more useful articles (descendancy searching). Both PubMed and CINAHL offer Cited By links
• Revise the search to broaden or narrow your topic focus as you peruse the available literature
• Conducting a literature search is a repetitive process. Searches can be revised and re-run multiple times during the process.
• Track the citations for your relevant articles in a software citation manager such as RefWorks, Zotero, or Mendeley

5. Review the literature

• Read the full articles. Do not rely solely on the abstracts. Authors frequently cannot include all results within the confines of an abstract. Exclude articles that do not address your research question.
• While reading, note research findings relevant to your project and summarize. Are the findings conflicting? There are matrices available than can help with organization. See the Organizing Information box below.
• Critique / evaluate the quality of the articles, and record your findings in your matrix or summary table. Tools are available to prompt you what to look for. (See Resources for Appraising a Research Study box on the HSA, Nursing , and PA guides )
• You may need to revise your search and re-run it based on your findings.

6. Organize and synthesize

• Compile the findings and analysis from each resource into a single narrative.
• Using an outline can be helpful. Start broad, addressing the overall findings and then narrow, discussing each resource and how it relates to your question and to the other resources.
• Cite as you write to keep sources organized.
• Write in structured paragraphs using topic sentences and transition words to draw connections, comparisons, and contrasts.
• Don't present one study after another, but rather relate one study's findings to another. Speak to how the studies are connected and how they relate to your work.

Organizing Information

Options to assist in organizing sources and information :

1. Synthesis Matrix

• helps provide overview of the literature
• information from individual sources is entered into a grid to enable writers to discern patterns and themes
• article summary, analysis, or results
• thoughts, reflections, or issues
• each reference gets its own row
• mind maps, concept maps, flowcharts
• at top of page record PICO or research question
• record major concepts / themes from literature
• list concepts that branch out from major concepts underneath - keep going downward hierarchically, until most specific ideas are recorded
• enclose concepts in circles and connect the concept with lines - add brief explanation as needed

3. Summary Table

• information is recorded in a grid to help with recall and sorting information when writing
• allows comparing and contrasting individual studies easily
• purpose of study
• methodology (study population, data collection tool)

Efron, S. E., & Ravid, R. (2019). Writing the literature review : A practical guide . Guilford Press.

Literature Review Sections

• Lit reviews can be part of a larger paper / research study or they can be the focus of the paper
• Lit reviews focus on research studies to provide evidence
• New topics may not have much that has been published

* The sections included may depend on the purpose of the literature review (standalone paper or section within a research paper)

Standalone Literature Review (aka Narrative Review):

• presents your topic or PICO question
• includes the why of the literature review and your goals for the review.
• provides background for your the topic and previews the key points
• Narrative Reviews: tmay not have an explanation of methods.
• include where the search was conducted (which databases) what subject terms or keywords were used, and any limits or filters that were applied and why - this will help others re-create the search
• describe how studies were analyzed for inclusion or exclusion
• review the purpose and answer the research question
• thematically - using recurring themes in the literature
• chronologically - present the development of the topic over time
• methodological - compare and contrast findings based on various methodologies used to research the topic (e.g. qualitative vs quantitative, etc.)
• theoretical - organized content based on various theories
• provide an overview of the main points of each source then synthesize the findings into a coherent summary of the whole
• present common themes among the studies
• compare and contrast the various study results
• interpret the results and address the implications of the findings
• do the results support the original hypothesis or conflict with it
• provide your own analysis and interpretation (eg. discuss the significance of findings; evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the studies, noting any problems)
• discuss common and unusual patterns and offer explanations
•  stay away from opinions, personal biases and unsupported recommendations
• summarize the key findings and relate them back to your PICO/research question
• note gaps in the research and suggest areas for further research
• this section should not contain "new" information that had not been previously discussed in one of the sections above
• provide a list of all the studies and other sources used in proper APA 7

Literature Review as Part of a Research Study Manuscript:

• Compares the study with other research and includes how a study fills a gap in the research.
• Focus on the body of the review which includes the synthesized Findings and Discussion

Literature Reviews vs Systematic Reviews

Systematic Reviews are NOT the same as a Literature Review:

Literature Reviews:

• Literature reviews may or may not follow strict systematic methods to find, select, and analyze articles, but rather they selectively and broadly review the literature on a topic
• Research included in a Literature Review can be "cherry-picked" and therefore, can be very subjective

Systematic Reviews:

• Systemic reviews are designed to provide a comprehensive summary of the evidence for a focused research question
• rigorous and strictly structured, using standardized reporting guidelines (e.g. PRISMA, see link below)
• uses exhaustive, systematic searches of all relevant databases
• best practice dictates search strategies are peer reviewed
• uses predetermined study inclusion and exclusion criteria in order to minimize bias
• aims to capture and synthesize all literature (including unpublished research - grey literature) that meet the predefined criteria on a focused topic resulting in high quality evidence

Literature Review Examples

• Breastfeeding initiation and support: A literature review of what women value and the impact of early discharge (2017). Women and Birth : Journal of the Australian College of Midwives
• Community-based participatory research to promote healthy diet and nutrition and prevent and control obesity among African-Americans: A literature review (2017). Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities

• Vitamin D deficiency in individuals with a spinal cord injury: A literature review (2017). Spinal Cord

Resources for Writing a Literature Review

These sources have been used in developing this guide.

Resources Used on This Page

Aveyard, H. (2010). Doing a literature review in health and social care : A practical guide . McGraw-Hill Education.

Purdue Online Writing Lab. (n.d.). Writing a literature review . Purdue University. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/conducting_research/writing_a_literature_review.html

Torres, E. (2021, October 21). Nursing - graduate studies research guide: Literature review. Hawai'i Pacific University Libraries. Retrieved January 27, 2022, from https://hpu.libguides.com/c.php?g=543891&p=3727230

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What is a Literature Review?

• A literature review is a summary and analysis of research published on a specific topic.
• Literature reviews give a "snapshot" of individual articles and explain how each work has contributed to the field's understanding of the topic.
• The purpose of a literature review is to trace the history of research on a particular subject, evaluate that research, and identify aspects of the topic that are in need of further study.

The information for this page is provided from Nursing Resources Research Guide of Jessup Library at Piedmont Virginia Community College with permission. 

Synthesizing the Literature

"Synthesizing the literature" means comparing themes, methods, findings, and inconsistencies within the articles you found, so that you can show how the articles relate to each other.

Synthesizing the information that you find in multiple articles can be difficult. It is important to analyze and organize the different perspectives, ideas, and methods that you encounter in your reading. Using a  synthesis matrix  may help you keep track of the main ideas of each document. A synthesis matrix is a chart that you use to organize and compare your sources. As you synthesize your research, look for these things:

• The  main purpose  of each article and how it relates to your topic
• Methods  and f indings  discussed in the article
• Similarities  and  differences  among the authors
• Inconsistencies  or  controversies  within the research

Download a  Sample Synthesis Matrix  to use as you prepare to write your literature review:

• Sample Synthesis Matrix

Steps for Writing a Literature Review

• Choose a topic
• Review the guidelines provided for the assignment
• Search for relevant articles
• Read and evaluate the articles
• Synthesize the literature
• Summarize and discuss the articles in your writing
• Identify gaps in the current research on your topic

Format of a Literature Review

What does a literature review look like?

Not every literature review is the same; some literature reviews include very detailed methodologies, or sections defining terms or concepts relevant to the topic, or in-depth background history, or a paragraph discussing the challenges involved with reviewing the literature.

But most literature reviews will incorporate these key components:

"Nurse turnover: A literature review" by Laureen J. Hayes et al. (2006) looks at research on the nurse turnover problem.

In this excerpt from the article, you can see how the writers compare the research of several authors on variables that influence nurse turnover rates. 

Hayes, L.J. et al. (2006).  Nurse turnover: A literature review.   International Journal of Nursing Studies, 43(2006). pp. 237–263.

Also in this article, see Appendix A on page 247 for an example of a synthesis matrix used to analyze and compare the literature on nurse turnover issues.

Another Example with Single Article

Assessing Pain

Short, R. (2008). Assessing Pain...Pat Schofield.  Nursing Older People, 20(4) , 16-18 3p.

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NURS 3750 - Nursing Honors Project (Neil): Literature Reviews

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Nursing Literature Reviews

What is a Literature (Lit) Review? 

A Literature Review is Not: 

• a quick summary of sources
• a grouping of broad, unrelated sources
• a compilation of everything that has ever been written on a topic
• a literature criticism or book review

So, what is it then?

A literature review is an integrated analysis-- not just a summary-- of scholarly writings that are related directly to your research question.  That is, it represents the literature that provides background information on your topic and shows a correspondence between those writings and your research question.

A literature review may be a stand alone work or the introduction to a larger research paper, depending on the assignment.  Rely heavily on the guidelines your instructor has given you.

Why is it important?

A literature review is important because it:

• Explains the background of research on a topic.
• Demonstrates why a topic is significant to a subject area.
• Discovers relationships between research studies/ideas.
• Identifies major themes, concepts, and researchers on a topic.
• Identifies critical gaps and points of disagreement.
• Discusses further research questions that logically come out of the previous studies.

Adapted from:  https://libguides.uwf.edu/c.php?g=215270&p=4439026  by Hillary Fox, University of West Florida,  hfox @uwf.edu.

Creating a Literature Review using the Matrix Method: 

A matrix review allows you to quickly compare and contrast articles in an easy to read format. It can help you to easily spot differences and similarities between journal articles and your nursing research topic. Review matrices are especially helpful for health sciences literature reviews that cover the scope of research over a given amount of time. 

Most literature reviews are set up in this format: 

Chart adapted from the book below: 

• Check out the e-book above for more help in creating a literature review matrix. 

Steps for Conducting a Literature Review

1. Choose Your Topic

• Review your PICO question and think about your central research question. To review the PICO process, please see Kerry Sewell's LibGuide on this subject. 

2. Decide on the scope of your review

• How many studies do you need to look at? 
• How comprehensive should it be? 
• How many years should it cover? (Dr. Larson usually prefers articles no older than 5 years)

3. Select the databases you want to use to conduct your searches (See the Databases Tab Above!)

4. Conduct your searches and find the literature. (Keep track of your searches)

• Review the abstracts and conclusions carefully. This will help you decide which articles actually fit the criteria you are looking for. 
• Write down the keywords you used and where you found them. 
• Use RefWorks to keep track of your citations. (Email me  - [email protected] -  if you need help!) 

5. Review the Literature (This will probably be the most time consuming part)

• What was the research question of the study you are reviewing?  What were the authors trying to discover? 
• Was the research funded by a company or source that could influence the findings? (Such as Colgate® sponsoring a toothpaste study?)
• What were the research methodologies? Analyze the paper's literature review, the samples and variables used, the results and conclusions. Does the research seem to be complete? Could it have been conducted more soundly? What questions does it raise? 
• If there are conflicting studies, why do you think that is? 
• How are the authors of the paper viewed in the field? Has this study been cited by other publications? 

Literature Review Examples

Remember, a lit review provides an intelligent overview of the topic. There may or may not be a method for how studies are collected or interpreted. Lit reviews aren't always labeled specifically as "literature reviews," they may often be embedded with other sections such as an introduction or background. 

• Mentes, J.C., Salem, N., & Phillips, L.R. (2017). Ethnocultural gerontological nursing. An integrative literature review. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 28(1), 79-97.  https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1043659615601483
• Rosa, D.F., Carvalho, M.V., & Pereira, N.R, et al. (2019). Nursing care for the transgender population: genders from the perspective of professional practice. Revista Brasilerira de Enfermagem, 72 (Suppl 1), 299-306.  http://www.scielo.br/pdf/reben/v72s1/0034-7167-reben-72-s1-0299.pdf
• Dahlke, S.A., Hunter, K.F., Negrin, K. (2019). Nursing practice with hospitalized older people: Safety and harm. International Journal of Older People Nursing, 14 (1), e1220.  https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/opn.12220

Adapted from:  https://libguides.uwf.edu/c.php?g=215270&p=4439026  by Hillary Fox, University of West Florida, [email protected].

Carrie Forbes, MLS

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What type of review, how to conduct a review, find articles, evaluating articles, full text access tool.

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Researchers, academics and librarians all use various terms to describe different types of literature reviews. Indeed there is often inconsistency between the ways the types are discussed. Here are a couple of simple explanations.

The image below describes common review types in terms of speed, detail, risk of bias and comprehensiveness:

"Schematic of the main differences between the types of literature review" by Brennan, M. L., Arlt, S. P., Belshaw, Z., Buckley, L., Corah, L., Doit, H., Fajt, V. R., Grindlay, D., Moberly, H. K., Morrow, L. D., Stavisky, J., & White, C. (2020). Critically Appraised Topics (CATs) in veterinary medicine: Applying evidence in clinical practice. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 7 , 314. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2020.00314 is licensed under CC BY 3.0

The table below has been adapted from a widely used typology of fourteen types of reviews, (Grant & Booth, 2009).  Here are four of the most common types:

For a more detailed list of review types, see:

Grant, M.J. & Booth, A. (2009).  A typology of reviews: An analysis of 14 review types and associated methodologies. Health Information & Libraries Journal, 26 (2), 91-108.  DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-1842.2009.00848.x

The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) outlines standards of practice completing a systematic review to ensure consistency and high-quality results.

• PRISMA 2020 Explanations
• PRISMA 2020 Checklist
• PRISMA 2020 Flow Diagram
• PRISMA Flow Diagram Generator
• PRISMA-S: an extension to the PRISMA Statement for Reporting Literature Searches in Systematic Reviews

Techniques from the PRISMA process can also be used with other types of reviews to have a systematic process for searching and evaluating results.

• Article Evaluation Handout Key questions to evaluate each section of original research studies (RCTs, cohort studies, etc)

LibKey Nomad is a browser extension that connects you with articles that are library-licensed or open access. LibKey Nomad is available for Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Microsoft Edge, Brave, and Vivaldi.

Here is a short demonstration of how it works:

When using LibKey Nomad, you will automatically be directed to the best available version of an article so you don't need to search in multiple places. When the full text of an article is not available, you will be provided with options to request the article through  Interlibrary Loan (ILL).

LibKey Nomad does not require you to create a personal account. It does not track users or hold credentials, and it is only active when you are on the web page of a scholarly publisher or database.  

Getting Started

• Install the LibKey Nomad extension for your browser of choice. (Note: A user account is  not  required to use the extension.)
• Search for and select "James Madison University" from the list of institutions. See images below.
• When you are on publisher websites, Wikipedia, PubMed, and more, you can l ook for the LibKey Nomad button to download PDFs.

Publisher Websites

When you're browsing publisher sites and other web pages, LibKey Nomad provides a link to download the PDF of an article available through the JMU Libraries. It is not necessary to first connect through the JMU Libraries website. If the full text of the article is not available through the JMU Libraries subscriptions, an "Access Options" button will appear, and you will see options for requesting the article through ILL. See example in the image below.

LibKey Nomad also works with Wikipedia. When you're viewing the list of references for an entry, a "Download PDF" button will appear after the citations, if the full text of the article is available from JMU Libraries. An "Article Link" button may appear for citations that are from sources that do not support linking directly to the PDF. For articles not available from JMU Libraries, an "Access Options..." button will appear that provides options for requesting the articles through ILL. See example in the image below.

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What is a Literature Review?

Key questions for a literature review, examples of literature reviews, useful links, evidence matrix for literature reviews.

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The Scholarly Conversation

A literature review provides an overview of previous research on a topic that critically evaluates, classifies, and compares what has already been published on a particular topic. It allows the author to synthesize and place into context the research and scholarly literature relevant to the topic. It helps map the different approaches to a given question and reveals patterns. It forms the foundation for the author’s subsequent research and justifies the significance of the new investigation.

A literature review can be a short introductory section of a research article or a report or policy paper that focuses on recent research. Or, in the case of dissertations, theses, and review articles, it can be an extensive review of all relevant research.

• The format is usually a bibliographic essay; sources are briefly cited within the body of the essay, with full bibliographic citations at the end.
• The introduction should define the topic and set the context for the literature review. It will include the author's perspective or point of view on the topic, how they have defined the scope of the topic (including what's not included), and how the review will be organized. It can point out overall trends, conflicts in methodology or conclusions, and gaps in the research.
• In the body of the review, the author should organize the research into major topics and subtopics. These groupings may be by subject, (e.g., globalization of clothing manufacturing), type of research (e.g., case studies), methodology (e.g., qualitative), genre, chronology, or other common characteristics. Within these groups, the author can then discuss the merits of each article and analyze and compare the importance of each article to similar ones.
• The conclusion will summarize the main findings, make clear how this review of the literature supports (or not) the research to follow, and may point the direction for further research.
• The list of references will include full citations for all of the items mentioned in the literature review.

A literature review should try to answer questions such as

• Who are the key researchers on this topic?
• What has been the focus of the research efforts so far and what is the current status?
• How have certain studies built on prior studies? Where are the connections? Are there new interpretations of the research?
• Have there been any controversies or debate about the research? Is there consensus? Are there any contradictions?
• Which areas have been identified as needing further research? Have any pathways been suggested?
• How will your topic uniquely contribute to this body of knowledge?
• Which methodologies have researchers used and which appear to be the most productive?
• What sources of information or data were identified that might be useful to you?
• How does your particular topic fit into the larger context of what has already been done?
• How has the research that has already been done help frame your current investigation ?

Example of a literature review at the beginning of an article: Forbes, C. C., Blanchard, C. M., Mummery, W. K., & Courneya, K. S. (2015, March). Prevalence and correlates of strength exercise among breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer survivors . Oncology Nursing Forum, 42(2), 118+. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.sonoma.idm.oclc.org/ps/i.do?p=HRCA&sw=w&u=sonomacsu&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA422059606&asid=27e45873fddc413ac1bebbc129f7649c Example of a comprehensive review of the literature: Wilson, J. L. (2016). An exploration of bullying behaviours in nursing: a review of the literature.   British Journal Of Nursing ,  25 (6), 303-306. For additional examples, see:

Galvan, J., Galvan, M., & ProQuest. (2017). Writing literature reviews: A guide for students of the social and behavioral sciences (Seventh ed.). [Electronic book]

Pan, M., & Lopez, M. (2008). Preparing literature reviews: Qualitative and quantitative approaches (3rd ed.). Glendale, CA: Pyrczak Pub. [ Q180.55.E9 P36 2008]

• Write a Literature Review (UCSC)
• Literature Reviews (Purdue)
• Literature Reviews: overview (UNC)
• Review of Literature (UW-Madison)

The  Evidence Matrix  can help you  organize your research  before writing your lit review.  Use it to  identify patterns  and commonalities in the articles you have found--similar methodologies ?  common  theoretical frameworks ? It helps you make sure that all your major concepts covered. It also helps you see how your research fits into the context  of the overall topic.

• Evidence Matrix Special thanks to Dr. Cindy Stearns, SSU Sociology Dept, for permission to use this Matrix as an example.
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• Volume 19, Issue 1
• Reviewing the literature
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• Joanna Smith 1 ,
• Helen Noble 2
• 1 School of Healthcare, University of Leeds , Leeds , UK
• 2 School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queens's University Belfast , Belfast , UK
• Correspondence to Dr Joanna Smith , School of Healthcare, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK; j.e.smith1{at}leeds.ac.uk

http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/eb-2015-102252

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Implementing evidence into practice requires nurses to identify, critically appraise and synthesise research. This may require a comprehensive literature review: this article aims to outline the approaches and stages required and provides a working example of a published review.

Are there different approaches to undertaking a literature review?

What stages are required to undertake a literature review.

The rationale for the review should be established; consider why the review is important and relevant to patient care/safety or service delivery. For example, Noble et al 's 4 review sought to understand and make recommendations for practice and research in relation to dialysis refusal and withdrawal in patients with end-stage renal disease, an area of care previously poorly described. If appropriate, highlight relevant policies and theoretical perspectives that might guide the review. Once the key issues related to the topic, including the challenges encountered in clinical practice, have been identified formulate a clear question, and/or develop an aim and specific objectives. The type of review undertaken is influenced by the purpose of the review and resources available. However, the stages or methods used to undertake a review are similar across approaches and include:

Formulating clear inclusion and exclusion criteria, for example, patient groups, ages, conditions/treatments, sources of evidence/research designs;

Justifying data bases and years searched, and whether strategies including hand searching of journals, conference proceedings and research not indexed in data bases (grey literature) will be undertaken;

Developing search terms, the PICU (P: patient, problem or population; I: intervention; C: comparison; O: outcome) framework is a useful guide when developing search terms;

Developing search skills (eg, understanding Boolean Operators, in particular the use of AND/OR) and knowledge of how data bases index topics (eg, MeSH headings). Working with a librarian experienced in undertaking health searches is invaluable when developing a search.

Once studies are selected, the quality of the research/evidence requires evaluation. Using a quality appraisal tool, such as the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) tools, 5 results in a structured approach to assessing the rigour of studies being reviewed. 3 Approaches to data synthesis for quantitative studies may include a meta-analysis (statistical analysis of data from multiple studies of similar designs that have addressed the same question), or findings can be reported descriptively. 6 Methods applicable for synthesising qualitative studies include meta-ethnography (themes and concepts from different studies are explored and brought together using approaches similar to qualitative data analysis methods), narrative summary, thematic analysis and content analysis. 7 Table 1 outlines the stages undertaken for a published review that summarised research about parents’ experiences of living with a child with a long-term condition. 8

• View inline

An example of rapid evidence assessment review

In summary, the type of literature review depends on the review purpose. For the novice reviewer undertaking a review can be a daunting and complex process; by following the stages outlined and being systematic a robust review is achievable. The importance of literature reviews should not be underestimated—they help summarise and make sense of an increasingly vast body of research promoting best evidence-based practice.

• ↵ Centre for Reviews and Dissemination . Guidance for undertaking reviews in health care . 3rd edn . York : CRD, York University , 2009 .
• ↵ Canadian Best Practices Portal. http://cbpp-pcpe.phac-aspc.gc.ca/interventions/selected-systematic-review-sites / ( accessed 7.8.2015 ).
• Bridges J , et al
• ↵ Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP). http://www.casp-uk.net / ( accessed 7.8.2015 ).
• Dixon-Woods M ,
• Shaw R , et al
• Agarwal S ,
• Jones D , et al
• Cheater F ,

Twitter Follow Joanna Smith at @josmith175

Competing interests None declared.

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What is a Literature Review?

A literature review is an essay that surveys, summarizes, links together, and assesses research in a given field. It surveys the literature by reviewing a large body of work on a subject; it summarizes by noting the main conclusions and findings of the research; it links together works in the literature by showing how the information fits into the overall academic discussion and how the information relates to one another; it assesses the literature by noting areas of weakness, expansion, and contention. This is the essentials of literature review construction by discussing the major sectional elements, their purpose, how they are constructed, and how they all fit together.

All literature reviews have major sections:

• Introduction: that indicates the general state of the literature on a given topic;
• Methodology: an overview of how, where, and what subject terms used to conducted your search so it may be reproducable
• Findings: a summary of the major findings in that field;
• Discussion: a general progression from wider studies to smaller, more specifically-focused studies;
• Conclusion: for each major section that again notes the overall state of the research, albeit with a focus on the major synthesized conclusions, problems in the research, and even possible avenues of further research.

In Literature Reviews, it is Not Appropriate to:

• State your own opinions on the subject (unless you have evidence to support such claims).  
• State what you think nurses should do (unless you have evidence to support such claims).
• Provide long descriptive accounts of your subject with no reference to research studies.
• Provide numerous definitions, signs/symptoms, treatment and complications of a particular illness without focusing on research studies to provide evidence and the primary purpose of the literature review.
• Discuss research studies in isolation from each other.

Remember, a literature review is not a book report. A literature review is focus, succinct, organized, and is free of personal beliefs or unsubstantiated tidbits.

• Types of Literature Reviews A detailed explanation of the different types of reviews and required citation retrieval numbers

Outline of a Literture Review

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Nursing - Literature Reviews & Systematic Reviews

The literature review, systematic reviews.

• PRISMA and Other Reporting Guidelines
• Types of Sources
• Backward & Forward Reference Searching
• Quick Links

Here are the reasons for doing a literature review:

• A literature review establishes the background on what has already been researched on a topic.
• It shows why a topic is significant to a subject area.
• Students and scholars will discover relationships between ideas in the literature.
• A literature review helps students and scholars identify major themes and concepts within their topic.
• Knowing what has been published allows identification of critical gaps of knowledge and points of disagreement within a subject area.
• The literature review helps a scholar or student turn a network of articles into a coherent view of the literature.

A literature review is not:

• an annotated bibliography ; or
• a "laundry list" of articles.

A literature review allows a student or scholar to integrate and synthesize information on a topic and use it to create new knowledge.

Start a literature review by using the FAU Libraries' indexes and databases  (FAUNet log-in required for searching from off campus), and become familiar with the ones used within your field or discipline.  In addition, distinguish the various types of publications that can be found in a literature review.

Original content by Kristy Padron (2019) from  Guide to science information sources: The literature review .  Retrieved from  https://libguides.fau.edu/science_resources/lit_review

See the following to get an overview of the literature review, the different types, the steps on beginning one, and where to go for sources.

• Types of Literature Reviews (PDF)
• The Literature Review: A Roadmap for Finding and Organizing Information (Slides, 20 Mins.) By K. Padron, Summer 2023.

If you've been asked to a literature review for a class, see the links below to see what it is, how to do one, and for an example!

• Workplace Hazards Faced by Nursing Assistants in the United States: A Focused Literature Review An example of a literature review. A 2017 article in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health by A. Walton and B. Rogers. Open access article; no log-in required.

Creating a literature review matrix is one way to organize your sources:

• Literature Review Matrix
• Literature Review Matrix (.doc)
• Literature Review Matrix (.xlsx)

A systematic review is a synthesis of literature on a particular concept.  It takes a literature review further by utilizing pre-selected inclusion criteria for the types of literature that will be included.  See the links below for the characteristics of a systematic review, how to get started with doing one, and examples.

• Public health interventions in midwifery: a systematic review of systematic reviews An example of a systematic review. A 2012 article in BMC Public Health by J. McNeill, F. Lynn, and F. Alderdice. Open access article; no log-in required.
• The Systematic Review (An Overview) A 2014 AJN, American Journal of Nursing article by E. Aromataris and A. Pearson. (FAU log-in required).
• Systematic Reviews and PRISMA (Slides)
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What are Systematic Reviews? (3 minutes, 24 second YouTube Video)

Systematic Literature Reviews: Steps & Resources

These steps for conducting a systematic literature review are listed below . 

Also see subpages for more information about:

• The different types of literature reviews, including systematic reviews and other evidence synthesis methods
• Tools & Tutorials

Literature Review & Systematic Review Steps

• Develop a Focused Question
• Scope the Literature  (Initial Search)
• Refine & Expand the Search
• Limit the Results
• Download Citations
• Abstract & Analyze
• Create Flow Diagram
• Synthesize & Report Results

1. Develop a Focused   Question 

Consider the PICO Format: Population/Problem, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome

Focus on defining the Population or Problem and Intervention (don't narrow by Comparison or Outcome just yet!)

"What are the effects of the Pilates method for patients with low back pain?"

Tools & Additional Resources:

• PICO Question Help
• Stillwell, Susan B., DNP, RN, CNE; Fineout-Overholt, Ellen, PhD, RN, FNAP, FAAN; Melnyk, Bernadette Mazurek, PhD, RN, CPNP/PMHNP, FNAP, FAAN; Williamson, Kathleen M., PhD, RN Evidence-Based Practice, Step by Step: Asking the Clinical Question, AJN The American Journal of Nursing : March 2010 - Volume 110 - Issue 3 - p 58-61 doi: 10.1097/01.NAJ.0000368959.11129.79

2. Scope the Literature

A "scoping search" investigates the breadth and/or depth of the initial question or may identify a gap in the literature. 

Eligible studies may be located by searching in:

• Background sources (books, point-of-care tools)
• Article databases
• Trial registries
• Grey literature
• Cited references
• Reference lists

When searching, if possible, translate terms to controlled vocabulary of the database. Use text word searching when necessary.

Use Boolean operators to connect search terms:

• Combine separate concepts with AND  (resulting in a narrower search)
• Connecting synonyms with OR  (resulting in an expanded search)

Search:  pilates AND ("low back pain"  OR  backache )

Video Tutorials - Translating PICO Questions into Search Queries

• Translate Your PICO Into a Search in PubMed (YouTube, Carrie Price, 5:11) 
• Translate Your PICO Into a Search in CINAHL (YouTube, Carrie Price, 4:56)

3. Refine & Expand Your Search

Expand your search strategy with synonymous search terms harvested from:

• database thesauri
• reference lists
• relevant studies

Example: 

(pilates OR exercise movement techniques) AND ("low back pain" OR backache* OR sciatica OR lumbago OR spondylosis)

As you develop a final, reproducible strategy for each database, save your strategies in a:

• a personal database account (e.g., MyNCBI for PubMed)
• Log in with your NYU credentials
• Open and "Make a Copy" to create your own tracker for your literature search strategies

4. Limit Your Results

Use database filters to limit your results based on your defined inclusion/exclusion criteria.  In addition to relying on the databases' categorical filters, you may also need to manually screen results.  

• Limit to Article type, e.g.,:  "randomized controlled trial" OR multicenter study
• Limit by publication years, age groups, language, etc.

NOTE: Many databases allow you to filter to "Full Text Only".  This filter is  not recommended . It excludes articles if their full text is not available in that particular database (CINAHL, PubMed, etc), but if the article is relevant, it is important that you are able to read its title and abstract, regardless of 'full text' status. The full text is likely to be accessible through another source (a different database, or Interlibrary Loan).  

• Filters in PubMed
• CINAHL Advanced Searching Tutorial

5. Download Citations

Selected citations and/or entire sets of search results can be downloaded from the database into a citation management tool. If you are conducting a systematic review that will require reporting according to PRISMA standards, a citation manager can help you keep track of the number of articles that came from each database, as well as the number of duplicate records.

In Zotero, you can create a Collection for the combined results set, and sub-collections for the results from each database you search.  You can then use Zotero's 'Duplicate Items" function to find and merge duplicate records.

• Citation Managers - General Guide

6. Abstract and Analyze

• Migrate citations to data collection/extraction tool
• Screen Title/Abstracts for inclusion/exclusion
• Screen and appraise full text for relevance, methods, 
• Resolve disagreements by consensus

Covidence is a web-based tool that enables you to work with a team to screen titles/abstracts and full text for inclusion in your review, as well as extract data from the included studies.

• Covidence Support
• Critical Appraisal Tools
• Data Extraction Tools

7. Create Flow Diagram

The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses) flow diagram is a visual representation of the flow of records through different phases of a systematic review.  It depicts the number of records identified, included and excluded.  It is best used in conjunction with the PRISMA checklist .

Example from: Stotz, S. A., McNealy, K., Begay, R. L., DeSanto, K., Manson, S. M., & Moore, K. R. (2021). Multi-level diabetes prevention and treatment interventions for Native people in the USA and Canada: A scoping review. Current Diabetes Reports, 2 (11), 46. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11892-021-01414-3

• PRISMA Flow Diagram Generator (ShinyApp.io, Haddaway et al. )
• PRISMA Diagram Templates  (Word and PDF)
• Make a copy of the file to fill out the template
• Image can be downloaded as PDF, PNG, JPG, or SVG
• Covidence generates a PRISMA diagram that is automatically updated as records move through the review phases

8. Synthesize & Report Results

There are a number of reporting guideline available to guide the synthesis and reporting of results in systematic literature reviews.

It is common to organize findings in a matrix, also known as a Table of Evidence (ToE).

• Reporting Guidelines for Systematic Reviews
• Download a sample template of a health sciences review matrix  (GoogleSheets)

Steps modified from: 

Cook, D. A., & West, C. P. (2012). Conducting systematic reviews in medical education: a stepwise approach.   Medical Education , 46 (10), 943–952.

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Literature Review: Conducting & Writing

• Sample Literature Reviews
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• Chicago: Notes Bibliography

Sample Lit Reviews from Communication Arts

Have an exemplary literature review.

• Literature Review Sample 1
• Literature Review Sample 2
• Literature Review Sample 3

Have you written a stellar literature review you care to share for teaching purposes?

Are you an instructor who has received an exemplary literature review and have permission from the student to post?

Please contact Britt McGowan at [email protected] for inclusion in this guide. All disciplines welcome and encouraged.

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• Different Types of Literature Review
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Top Nursing Literature Review Examples for UK-Based Researchers

When it comes to conducting research in the field of nursing, a well-crafted literature review is the cornerstone of your academic journey. As a UK-based researcher, you understand the importance of aligning your work with the latest healthcare policies, guidelines, and research priorities. To help you on your path to excellence, we’ve compiled a curated selection of top nursing literature review examples that will not only inspire you but also provide practical insights into creating your own stellar literature review .

Table of Contents

The Crucial Role of a Nursing Literature Review

Before we delve into the world of nursing literature review examples, let’s take a moment to appreciate the pivotal role this section plays in your research:

• Knowledge Synthesis: A nursing literature review is your opportunity to synthesize existing research and knowledge related to your topic. It allows you to identify key themes, trends, and gaps in the literature.
• Evidence-Based Practice: Nursing is a field where evidence-based practice is paramount. Your literature review provides the foundation for making informed decisions in clinical practice, policy development, and research design.
• Critical Analysis: It demonstrates your critical thinking and analytical skills. A well-crafted literature review showcases your ability to assess the quality and relevance of research articles.
• Contextualization: Your literature review places your research within the broader context of the field, allowing readers to understand the significance of your work.

Given the significance of the nursing literature review , it’s essential to have access to high-quality examples that can guide you in creating a literature review that stands out.

Nursing Literature Review Example: A Source of Inspiration

Nursing literature review examples serve as beacons of inspiration for researchers at all levels. Here’s why they are so valuable:

• Structural Guidance: Examples provide insight into how to structure your literature review effectively. You can see how to introduce, organize, and conclude various sections.
• Writing Style: By studying examples, you can get a sense of the appropriate academic writing style, tone, and language for your literature review .
• Citation and Referencing: Examples demonstrate how to properly cite and reference sources, which is crucial for maintaining academic integrity.
• Research Focus: Examining examples specific to nursing allows you to understand the key areas of research and the current state of knowledge in the field.

Now, let’s explore where you can find these invaluable examples.

1. University Libraries and Databases

University libraries and academic databases are excellent starting points. Most universities provide access to digital dissertations, theses, and research papers through their library websites. Academic databases such as PubMed and CINAHL also host a vast collection of nursing literature reviews. You can search for literature reviews related to your specific nursing topic and access them online.

2. Online Academic Repositories

Numerous online platforms specialize in hosting academic research, including nursing literature reviews. Websites like ResearchGate and JSTOR offer a wealth of resources. These platforms often provide downloadable PDFs of research papers, dissertations, and theses.

3. Nursing Journals

Academic nursing journals frequently publish literature reviews as part of research articles. Journals like the “Journal of Advanced Nursing” and the “Journal of Nursing Scholarship” feature high-quality literature reviews. You can access these articles online and download them for reference.

4. Nursing Schools and Departments

Check the websites of nursing schools and departments at renowned universities. They often showcase exemplary student work, including literature reviews. These examples are typically curated to showcase exceptional research.

5. Online Academic Writing Services

Another valuable source of nursing literature review examples is online academic writing services like ours. These services often maintain a repository of sample papers and dissertations that students and researchers can access for reference. These examples are typically well-crafted and can serve as a guide for your own work.

Example of a Nursing Literature Review PDF: Tailored to Your Field

If you’re pursuing a nursing degree or conducting research in nursing, you may require literature review examples specific to your field. Here’s where to find an example of a nursing literature review PDF:

• University Nursing Departments: Nursing departments of universities often showcase the work of their students on their websites. These examples are tailored to nursing topics and can provide valuable insights.
• Nursing Conferences and Seminars: Nursing conferences and seminars often feature presentations and research papers with literature reviews. You may find relevant literature review examples presented at these events.

Nursing Research Organizations: Organizations like the American Nurses Association (ANA) or the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) in the UK may publish research papers and literature reviews on their websites.

Literature Review Examples Nursing: How to Make the Most of Them

Now that you know where to find nursing literature review examples, it’s crucial to understand how to make the most of these resources:

• Analyze Structure: Pay close attention to the structure of the literature review . Observe how it begins with an introduction, progresses with literature synthesis, and concludes with a summary.
• Study Citation Style: Examine how sources are cited and referenced. Ensure that you understand the citation style used (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago) and follow it consistently in your own work.
• Identify Key Themes: Look for the identification of key themes, theories, or gaps in the literature. Understanding how these elements are woven into the narrative can guide your own literature review .

Adapt to Your Research: While examples provide valuable guidance, remember to adapt them to your specific research question and context. Your literature review should reflect your unique research focus.

Conclusion: Elevating Your Nursing Research

In your journey to contribute to the field of nursing research, access to high-quality nursing literature review examples is a powerful asset. They offer guidance, structure, and inspiration to create a literature review that makes an impact. Whether you’re a student, a seasoned researcher, or a clinician seeking to integrate evidence-based practice, these resources can help you excel.

Nursing literature review examples provide a roadmap for your research journey. They help you navigate the complexities of academic writing, ensure the credibility of your sources, and demonstrate the relevance of your research. Embrace these examples as valuable tools on your path to excellence.

Remember that while examples are invaluable, your own research and unique contribution to the nursing literature are what truly matter. Use these examples as guides, build upon them, and embark on your journey to elevate nursing research in the UK and beyond. Your dedication and commitment will shape the future of healthcare and make a lasting impact in the field of nursing.

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Nursing Literature Review Topics And Examples

Nursing is one of the careers that call for significant and up-to-date research. This profession primarily necessitates qualitative, up-to-date research that discusses in depth the aspects influencing the behavior of a particular disease. Research is the only method by which experts can find a cure for an ailment. Researchers and students, therefore, must find the appropriate nursing literature review topics.

A nursing literature review can focus on the behavioral or physical part of the condition. It is crucial to have a competent mentor in nursing literature reviews to select the correct topic for your research.

Here you’ll find some nursing literature review topics to help you narrow down your search.

Top Tips for doing your literature review

Choose a fascinating topic.

Choosing fascinating topics for a literature review in nursing might sound quite obvious but it helps make a massive difference in keeping you motivated and interested in writing your literature review. In the nursing area you are interested in, select a specific question that you will seek to answer.

Choose a topic other people will be interested to learn about. This way, you will research and refrain from other irrelevant questions and form an appealing and intriguing question you can provide answers to.

Be selective

Do not just pick any piece of literature out there related to your nursing literature review topic. Not every data available, although related to your case, is relevant. Only select more information pertinent to your selected literature review on nursing topics.

9/10 nursing literature review questions can be answered by conducting simple research. If the question is about evaluating a treatment approach, then the viable option should be quantitive research. Qualitative research could be more appropriate in cases where the question is quite explorative.

You always remember that understanding the type of literature you need to use is crucial in writing your literature review. It will be wise to discuss the details with your instructor. Carefully examine the type of literature that will be most useful to your literature review. Once you understand what you should look for exactly, you will be good to go.

Make the library your friend

Schedule frequent library sessions and learn more about the subject, particularly your chosen topics for literature review in nursing. Most institutions have sections for students’ thesis and dissertations, which should be easier to find.

Identify the publications you will research. You can visit the academic library website and skim through the different sections and discover the most relevant ones to the topics you are interested in.

At this point, you are almost ready to get started. You should now know where to source the relevant databases both online and in the library. The rule of thumb is to use offline and online research publications to write your nursing literature review paper. Sometimes, some key details might be missing in the online databases and vice versa.

Go through the abstracts of relevant articles that have been published before

Only review the relevant articles since this will save you time and energy in the long run. When going through the abstracts, note the articles you deem relevant. Remember to be conscientious about the kind of articles you take note of. Ditch any papers that are not relevant, no matter how well-written they might seem. The same goes for relevant articles. You must review them.

Have a list of the article you deem relevant to your nursing literature review topic. If you are an undergraduate, ten articles should be good to get you started. A higher number of articles will mean that you won’t get into many details of the articles, and fewer articles translate to inadequate research.

If you have no other choice, then you will need to improvise. You can refine the nursing paper topics to match the articles you have collected. When you have a long list of articles, you can always reduce the scope of your nursing literature review question. For example, you can limit your focus to only one country or even one state.

The next step is to assess the quality of the content of the articles you have. Sometimes a paper can be relevant to your nursing literature review topic or question, but it might be of poor quality. That is why you should employ a critical appraisal method that is unique to the research design of your paper. This could mean that you will have to use other essential appraisal methods if your literature review question requires you to access a wide variety of literature.

You can talk to your instructor. Using the critical appraisal method, you can see the limitations and strengths of the data you have collected and the level of influence each article has had on your final literature review paper.

Review all the articles together and list down the answers to your question

A pro tip is to create a chart of the main topics you come across as you read through the articles, the authors, and the strengths and weaknesses. You will then see what issues are recurrent in most of the articles.

By doing this, you will notice the clear picture and pattern in the literature, and you will be able to formulate an answer to your question quickly. That does not mean that the answer will always be perfect. You might need to make further adjustments.

Whatever final answer you come up with, make sure it is supported by the evidence collected. you should not have a solution that none of the facts you collected in the literature is answering

Community Nursing literature review Topics

Writing about community services is quite a tricky task. You might need help from an expert to help you nail your nursing literature review. Here are community nursing literature review topics.

• Patient Documentation Discussion
• Digital Healthcare Surveys Rehabilitation of Sexual Abuse Victims
• Innovative Methods
• Innovative Care Planning
• Immigration Aid
• Rural Population Healthcare Demands
• Scotland’s Culture
• Volunteer Nursing Work
• Stress Treatment

Top Nursing Literature Review Topics

• Impact of health promotion initiatives on public health Collaborative roles of nurses, policymakers, social workers, and primary care physicians
• How gardening therapy reduces anxiety in the elderly
• facets of healthcare development, strategy, and research strategies
• Teenage binge drinking and alcoholism are a growing problem.
• National Health Services’ efficiency and effectiveness in providing services to the elderly
• Family therapy’s effect on adolescents.
• Guidelines to improve healthcare quality
• Ethics and leadership demonstrated
• Evidence-based disease management
• Effective methods for working with a variety of patients with mental health difficulties
• Mental health issues related to substandard housing
• Management difficulties in the care of elderly patients
• Public health strategies in Great Britain
• Improving pregnancy and care outcomes
• Understanding food labels to prevent obesity and poor health
• Positive results of laughter therapy
• World Health Organization approaches and policies concerning child development
• Community nursing’s role in enhancing senior health
• Community nurse health promotion practice
• AIDS: Social repercussions
• Knowledge management employing evidence
• Spouses of people living with Alzheimer’s may experience psychological difficulties.
• epidemiological trends concerning cardiovascular hazards
• Can a patient and nurse bond aid in a patient’s recovery?
• Principal dangers in clinical management
• Hearing the hallucinations of schizophrenia patients
• Evidence-based practice as both a pragmatic and theoretical strategy
• repercussions of community service and elderly patient care
• Implications of music therapy on individuals with depression
• How to properly manage drunk patients
• Developing a welcoming atmosphere in the waiting room
• Influence of nursing on parents who refuse to vaccinate their children
• Improved nurse-patient connections. How essential are they?
• Patients who refuse care must be treated.
• The significance of mental health nursing to patient outcomes
• What can a nurse do to administer initial care?
• Aiding the elderly patients in their everyday activities and providing nursing care
• The influence of nursing practice on future nurses
• Nursing precautions against infectious diseases
• Nursing schools and the practical application of academic knowledge
• The nursing aspect of child care. Assisting youngsters to have no fear of physicians.
• The uniform colors of nurses and their utility in the hospital
• What nurses must know to improve their knowledge
• Assisting the person in need: The significance of triage nurses
• Why are male nurses necessary, and why are there more of them than ever before?
• How to approach patients with medical procedure phobias
• Application of practical expertise in nursing interventions
• The advancements in patient care and nursing approaches
• How can nurses make patients feel secure?
• How may a patient’s relationship with a nurse aid in their recovery?
• Recognize the signs of abuse promptly.
• Nursing role in the prevention of pressure ulcers in bedridden individuals
• Treatment of patients with mental disorders
• Nursing ethics and how to respect the preferences of the patient
• Recognizing potentially dangerous patients and what to do if you encounter one Doctor–nurse relationship enhancement strategies
• Reducing nurses’ working hours and the possible benefits of doing so
• Are nurses treated differently than other hospital employees?
• Nursing duties in various patient wards

Health Organizations’ nursing literature review topics

Here are a few good nursing literature review topics about health organizations

• Rural Conflicts in New Healthcare Developments
• Television Healthcare Advertising
• Inequality in Healthcare Delivery in the United Kingdom Training Remote-care Help
• Racism in Emergency Department
• Electronic Administration
• School Screening Methodologies
• Work Opportunity Availability
• Rehabilitation of Children in School Facilities

Elderly Personsnursing literature review Topics

• What characteristics enable a nurse to recognize an old patient who has been abused in the past?
• Are you in agreement that community-based social innovations have facilitated healthy aging?
• Is it permissible to conduct clinical studies on elderly patients?
• Home is the most pleasing environment for aging. How much do you concur?
• What is the required minimum level of education for nurses, and how may it be enhanced?
• Does mealtime help aid the elderly in monitoring their protein and vitamin intake?
• Should the families of geriatric patients be held accountable for progressing the patients’ treatment?
• What significant challenges do elderly patients face?
• Explain the aging trend and the concept of global health.
• How should the healthcare system be modified to guarantee that the elderly receive quality care?
• What are the most effective medical methods for managing stress and information surcharge?

Healthcare Management Nursing Literature Review Topics

• Challenges that may be encountered during the contracting process in health care.
• What legal concerns may non-native patients encounter?
• What are the primary tenets of marijuana management?
• How do you establish a private medical practice?
• Regarding medical decisions and apology legislation.
• Exists discrimination based on gender in the nursing profession?
• The advantages and disadvantages of Medicare.
• Principal provisions of the nursing uniform code.
• What is the cause of the shortage of males in the healthcare industry?
• Home healthcare services.

Geriatric Nursing Literature review Topics

• Malnutrition’s impact on the organ system.
• What effect does aging have on the immune system?
• How should sepsis be treated in critically unwell elderly patients?
• How can a lengthy hospital stay contribute to complications among critically ill patients?
• What are the causes and risks of depression in later life?
• How effective is a healthy diet at lowering the risk of osteoporosis?
• What role do registered nurses play in advance care planning?
• Several methods for preventing delirium in older individuals.
• The diagnosis and risk factors for urinary tract infections in older adults.
• Discuss essential care techniques for older individuals with hip fractures of fragility.
• What molecular mechanisms and preventative strategies exist against Alzheimer’s disease in adults?
• Can nutrition pose a dementia risk?
• How can elderly individuals maintain dental hygiene?
• Age-related effects on the cardiovascular system.
• Elderly dehydration: causes, symptoms, prevention, and therapy.
• The changes in the elderly’s nerve system and cognitive senses.
• Essential care strategies for older adults with alcohol use problems.
• What medical emergencies are faced by elderly cancer patients?
• Available treatments for heart failure in the elderly.

Pediatric Nursing literature review topics

• Leukemia Cells And Children’s Immune Systems
• How has the pandemic affected the mental health of children?
• Strategies To Reduce The Risk Of Blindness In Children Receiving Oxygen Therapy Using Pragmatic Language Patterns For Children With Autism
• Acute Leukemia in Children and Reducing Painful Treatment and Diagnosis
• Student And Youngsters Depression And Psychological Health Vulnerability
• Congenital Heart Disease In Children And Their Psychological Problems
• Enhancing Language Acquisition For Children With Developmental Disabilities
• Optimizing Childhood Cancer Treatment
• Childhood Obesity: An Issue of Public Health
• Ethical issues preventing nurses from providing care to younger patients

Quantitative Nursing literature review Topics

• Describe and assess nursing critical care.
• Methods for treating pressure ulcers in hip fracture patients.
• Present a critical evaluation of assisted suicide and the associated ethics.
• What roles do nurses have in teaching and encouraging self-care?
• Compare and contrast nursing facilities and home care.
• What are the most common causes of heart attacks?
• What are the hurdles involved in managing chronic diseases?
• Describe the benefits of a healthy diet.
• The most effective cardiovascular disease treatments.
• Discuss assisted suicide and its ethical implications.

Child Nursing Literature Review Topics

• What are the requirements of Pediatric Critical Care?
• Examine the leading causes of child mortality in the United Kingdom.
• Strategies for addressing childhood malnutrition
• Causes and treatment of Tourette syndrome in children.
• The optimal treatments for autistic people.
• How can children’s meningitis be prevented?
• Examine the development of newborn care.
• The pathogenesis and management of opportunistic fungal infections.
• Dietary Health and Childhood Obesity
• Adolescent Practices in Medicine.
• Discuss childhood Neuroblastoma and Metabolic Syndrome.
• Pediatric asthma and monitoring approach.
• Explain why youngsters are resistant to antibiotics.
• Antibiotic resistance in preschoolers.
• The impact of social media on children’s eating habits.

Nursing Careers literature review Topics

• Clinical guidelines and nursing principles
• Stress management training for night shift workers.
• Critical care nursing administration
• Training to make prudent medical decisions
• The clinical nurse functions
• Guidelines for primary gynecological education
• Diversity within the healthcare industry
• Between occupation and service to others
• The best method to force seniors to consume.
• The digital age and nursing’s future
• Exercise to guarantee no drug errors
• Nursing professionals
• Remote concerns about intensive care unit
• Superior nursing procedures
• What are the best leadership skills for nurses?
• Morality and homelessness treatment
• The nurse’s role in managing anxiety
• Works of nursing theorists

The Bottom Line

Nursing is a serious occupation, and you need to be as professional as possible. ​Nursing literature review ideas​ can be pretty challenging to come up with. Writing a nursing literature review is simple but not easy. It all begins by selecting appropriate nursing literature review topics and getting down to relevant and accurate research.

Choose ​nursing literature review topics​ that you are familiar with, as this will ensure that you will spend less time doing the research and more time writing. The tips and comprehensive list of nursing literature review topics should get you started. You can even modify them so that they fit you perfectly. Should you get stuck with writing your nursing literature review, do not fret. You can always get help from professional nursing literature review experts.

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100+ Current Nursing literature review topics + Examples to Write About

Nursing literature review is an important part of the nursing profession. It allows nurses to learn from the best studies and research on a particular topic. In this article, we will provide you with 100 good nursing literature review topics that you can use to help you write your nursing literature review.

Current Nursing literature review topics to Write About – topics for literature review in nursing

Nursing literature review is an essential component of any nursing program. Nurses need to have a comprehensive understanding of the latest nursing research in order to provide optimal care for their patients .

Here are current nursing literature review topics that you can explore:

• The Role of Nursing Research in Clinical Practice
• Enhancing Patient Outcomes through Nursing Research
• Applications of evidence-based Practice in Nursing
• The Relationship between Nursing Theory and Practice
• Issues in Implementation and Translation of Research Evidence into Clinical Practice
• Cultural Competence in Nursing: Perspectives from the Global South
• Nursing Perspective on Genetics and Genetics in Nursing
• Advances in Geriatric Nursing: From Theory to Practice
• Transforming Pediatric Nursing Care through EvidenceBased Practice
• Health Technology Assessment: A Critical Appraisal from a Nursing Perspective
• Promoting Collaborative Care through Effective Communication Practices within the Health System
• Nurses, Technology, and Innovation: Implications for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety
• Nursing Ethics: A Multidisciplinary Perspective
• Nursing in an Era of Health Care Reform
• The Role of Nursing Research in Evaluating Nursing Practice
• Nursing Research and Quality Improvement: Strategies for conducting systematic reviews
• Collaborative Care in Nursing: Theory, Research, and Practice
• The Impact of Nursing on Patient Safety
• The Role of Nursing Ethics in Patient Safety
• Nursing Informatics: A Critical Appraisal
• What Nurses Should Know About the National Minimum Data Set (NMDS)
• Assessing Electronic Health Records: Challenges and Opportunities
• Nursing in the Era of the Affordable Care Act
• The Influence of Nursing on Patient Outcomes
• The Effects of Culture on Nursing Practice
• Nursing in a Time of Economic Turmoil
• Challenges Facing Nursing Education in the Context of Healthcare Reform
• The Use of Technology by Nurses in the Delivery of Nursing Care
• Creating an Effective Learning Environment for Nursing Students

Here’s How to write a Strong Literature Review for Nursing | Guide, Outlines & Examples

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20 Mental health nursing literature review topics

• Introduction to mental health nursing literature review: This literature review will introduce the reader to the field of mental health nursing and provide an overview of 20 different mental health nursing literature review topics.
• Psychiatric assessment: This literature review will focus on the psychiatric assessment process, including topics such as history taking and diagnostic procedures.
• Assessing for suicide risk: This literature review will discuss methods for assessing for suicide risk in patients, including coding criteria and risk assessment tools.
• Cultural competency in mental health nursing: This literature review will explore ways to be culturally competent when providing care to patients with mental illness, such as understanding cultural norms and beliefs.
• Therapeutic interventions for depression: This literature review will focus on therapeutic interventions for treating depression, such as pharmacological and psychological treatments.
• Psychotherapy for anxiety disorders: This literature review will discuss psychotherapy options for treating anxiety disorders, including cognitive-behavioral therapy and group therapies.
• Psychosocial rehabilitation interventions for addiction: This literature review will focus on psychosocial rehabilitation interventions designed to help patients recovering from addiction. Topics covered include relapse prevention and counseling techniques.
• Care of childrenand adolescents with mental health issues: This literature review will discuss the care of children and adolescents with mental health issues, including pediatric mental health disorders and psychosocial interventions for children and adolescents.
• Care of older adults with mental illness: This literature review will focus on the care of older adults with mental illness, including interventions for dementia-related psychosis and falls prevention.
• Complementary and alternative medicine in mental health nursing: This literature review will explore complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies used to treat mental illness, such as acupuncture and meditation.
• Ethics in mental health nursing: This literature review will discuss ethical considerations in providing care to patients with mental illness, such as cross-cultural competency and ensuring patient safety.
• Mental health literacy: This literature review will focus on how to improve mental health literacy among nurses, including teaching strategies and clinical applications.
• Research methods in mental health nursing: This literature review will discuss research methods used in the study of mental health Nursing, including qualitative methods and quantitative methods.
• The role of nursing research in advancing mental health nursing: This literature review will discuss the role of nursing research in advancing the field of mentalhealth nursing, including the importance of randomized controlled trials.
• The role of advocacy in mental health nursing: This literature review will discuss the role of advocacy in mental health nursing, including advocacy for better access to mental health care and insurance coverage for mental health services.
• Patient safety in mental health nursing: This literature review will discuss patient safety issues in mental health nursing , including safe practices for handling psychiatric medications and preventing falls in elderly patients with dementia.
• The role of social work in mental health nursing: This literature review will discuss the role of social work in mental health nursing, including providing support to patients and their families.
• Geriatric psychiatry: This literature review will focus on the impact of aging on the brain and psychiatric disorders, including geriatric bipolar disorder and dementia-related psychosis.
• Rehabilitation interventions for people with mental illness: This literature review will focus on rehabilitation interventions designed to help people with mental illness recover from their illnesses. Topics covered include cognitive-behavioral therapy and peer support groups.
• Future research in mental health nursing: This literature review will discuss future research directions in mental health nursing, including innovative treatments and new approaches to understanding psychiatric disorders.

Here’s the process of Evaluating sources for a nursing literature review | Guide

List of 7 Nursing Literature Review Examples

• Here’s a  sample Capstone project
• Make use of this  Nursing Literature Review Sample | Benchmark – Part B: Literature Review
• More resources for your study  Capstone Literature Review
• Here’s the best  Capstone Project Literature Review – Solved Example
• Working with a PICOT question, here’s a  Literature Review For The PICOT Question – Solved Essay
• Make use of this  Grand Canyon Literature Review PICOT Statement Paper
• Taking MSN, here’s a sample nursing literature review example that you should read  Literature Review: The Use Of Clinical Systems To Improve Outcomes And Efficiencies

40 Ideas for nursing literature review topics

Nursing literature review is an important practice that nurses use to learn about new concepts and research studies. It can also be used to evaluate the quality of nursing care.

Here are forty ideas for nursing literature review topics:

• Nursing care of patients with dementia
• Effect of bed rest on nurses’ health
• Use of complementary and alternative medicine in nursing care
• Impact of technology on nurses’ work
• Role of nurses in disaster preparedness
• Effectiveness of patient safety programs
• Assessment and management of chronic diseases in the elderly
• Developing culturally competent nursing care plans
• Care of hospitalized pediatric patients
• Nursing interventions for preventing falls in the elderly
• Effectiveness of home health services for persons with disabilities
• Strategies to improve communication between nurses and patients with dementia
• Health promotion in hospitals: an evidence-based approach
• Nursing care for critically ill patients
• Promoting safe sleep for children
• A qualitative exploration into transitional learning experiences in nursing
• The intersection of race, ethnicity, and gender with nursing
• Ethics education for nurses
• Nurses’ experience working with migrant patients
• The impact of social media on nurses’ work
• Nurses’ perceptions of work stress and burnout
• Nursing management of chronic pain in adults
• Implementation and evaluation of nurse-led interventions for promoting oral health in older adults
• The role of nurses in the transition to palliative care
• Assessment and management of postoperative pain in adults
• Effects of sleep deprivation on nurses’ performance
• Nurse-led interventions for preventing falls in the elderly: a systematic review
• Nursing care in intensive care units: an overview
• Psychiatric nursing: an introduction
• Impact of burnout on nurses’ quality of life
• Nursing research: a critical perspective
• The influence of culture on maternal nursing
• Assessment and management of chronic diseases in children
• Caregiving trajectories among migrant mothers in Canada
• Development and evaluation of an evidence-based electronic health record for pediatric patients with chronic conditions (CHILD-EHR)
• Research methods for studying nursing practices: a qualitative exploration
• Cultural competency among hospital workers: implications for patient safety
• Nursing interventions for managing postoperative pain
• The role of nurses in disaster preparedness
• A qualitative exploration of the experience of work-life balance in nurses

Pediatric nursing literature review topics

There are many nursing literature review topics that could be covered when studying pediatric nursing. A few possible topics include:

• Acute care of the pediatric patient
• Assessment and diagnosis of pediatric patients
• Vital signs in pediatric patients
• Nutrition in the pediatric patient
• Pharmacology in the pediatric patient
• Palliative care of the pediatric patient
• Sleep patterns in the pediatric patient
• Infectious diseases of the pediatric population
• Child abuse and neglect in the pediatric population
• Medications and their effects in pediatrics

Nursing dissertation topics literature review

Nursing dissertation topics can be incredibly diverse, and there are many different ways to approach them. Below is a list of thirty possible topics that could be used as a starting point for your literature review. This is by no means an exhaustive list – you may want to explore additional topics that you feel would be relevant to your project.

• Care of the Elderly
• Care of Patients with Chronic Conditions
• Care of Pregnant Women
• Developmental Nursing
• Geriatric Nursing
• Healthcare Ethics
• Healthcare Leadership and Management
• Industrial/Organizational Nursing
• Neonatal/Pediatric Nursing
• Patient Safety and Welfare
• Primary Health care nursing
• Public Health nursing
• Women’s health nursing
• Youth health nursing
• Nursing Research Methods
• Nursing Care of Children with Special Health Needs
• Nursing Care of Patients with Developmental Disabilities
• Nursing Care of the Elderly with Memory Loss
• Nursing Research on Pediatric Populations
• Nursing Research on Chronic Illness
• Nursing Care of the Obese Patient
• Nursing Research on Palliative Care
• Nurse Anesthetists
• Nurse Midwives
• Nurse Practitioners
• Nurses in Critical Care Settings
• Nurses in Psychiatric Settings
• Nurses in Geriatric Settings
• Advanced Practice Registered Nurses
• Collaborative Practice

Other Nursing Dissertation Topic Areas include

• The impact of technology on nursing
• Global health nursing
• Nursing care in the aged population
• Geriatric psychiatry
• Nursing research methods Nursing care of developmental disabilities
• Nursing research with multicultural populations
• Palliative care in nursing
• Nursing leadership
• Nursing care of hospitalized patients
• Nursing research on pediatric populations
• Nursing care of patients with chronic conditions
• Nursing care for pediatric cancer patients
• Nursing research on chronic illness
• Nursing care of the obese patient
• Nursing research on geriatric populations
• Nursing care of the medically ill patient
• Nursing care of the chronically ill patient
• Nursing care of the postoperative patient
• Nursing care of the pediatric patient in critical condition
• Nursing research on perinatal and neonatal patients
• Nursing care of the pediatric patient with cerebral palsy
• Nursing research on palliative care

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List of Literature review topics for nursing students

Nursing students need to be familiar with a wide variety of literature review topics in order to become well-rounded professionals . Here are fifty of the most common nursing literature review topics.

• Nursing care of people with disabilities
• Advanced practice nurse practitioner roles and responsibilities
• Infectious diseases in nurses and patients
• Collaborative care: working together as a team in healthcare settings
• Leadership concepts in nursing: decision making, planning, organizing, goal setting, communication, delegation, and problem solving
• Nursing research: methods and applications in population-based studies
• Violence against nurses:prevention, intervention and response
• Nursing care of patients with chronic diseases
• Health assessment in the clinical setting
• Care of the elderly patient: principles and practice
• Nursing care of persons with diabetes mellitus
• Nursing care of the HIV-infected patient
• Cardiovascular nursing
• Advanced practice nurse roles in pediatric health nursing
• Nursing care of the post-operative patient
• Geriatric mental health nursing: a framework for practice
• Critical care transport nursing
• Community pharmacists in healthcare
• Pediatric advanced practice nurse roles and responsibilities
• Environmental health nursing
• Nurse case managers: integrating evidence-based interventions into clinical practice
• Mental health assessment tools for nurses
• Acute renal failure: diagnosis and management
• Nurses & social work collaboration in long-term care settings
• Care of the homeless patient
• Nursing care of the elderly at home
• Palliative care for pediatric patients
• Nursing care of older adults in assisted living facilities
• Nurses & pharmacists: drug therapy interactions
• Nursing care of cancer patients
• Patient assessment
• Care of the critically ill patient
• Nursing interventions for acute care
• Palliative care
• Nursing assistantship and leadership development
• Pharmacology for nursing students
• Human growth and development
• Community health nursing
• Research methods in nursing
• Nursing leadership and management
• Mental health nursing
• Nutrition for nurses
• Psychiatric rehabilitation nursing
• Nurse-midwife collaboration in obstetrics and gynecology
• Pediatric infection control and prevention
• Geriatric health teaching: a systematic approach
• Palliative care for children and adolescents
• Critical incident stress debriefing

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An literature review examples on nursing literature reviews is a prosaic composition of a small volume and free composition, expressing individual impressions and thoughts on a specific occasion or issue and obviously not claiming a definitive or exhaustive interpretation of the subject.

Some signs of nursing literature reviews literature review:

• the presence of a specific topic or question. A work devoted to the analysis of a wide range of problems in biology, by definition, cannot be performed in the genre of nursing literature reviews literature review topic.
• The literature review expresses individual impressions and thoughts on a specific occasion or issue, in this case, on nursing literature reviews and does not knowingly pretend to a definitive or exhaustive interpretation of the subject.
• As a rule, an essay suggests a new, subjectively colored word about something, such a work may have a philosophical, historical, biographical, journalistic, literary, critical, popular scientific or purely fiction character.
• in the content of an literature review samples on nursing literature reviews, first of all, the author’s personality is assessed - his worldview, thoughts and feelings.

The goal of an literature review in nursing literature reviews is to develop such skills as independent creative thinking and writing out your own thoughts.

Writing an literature review is extremely useful, because it allows the author to learn to clearly and correctly formulate thoughts, structure information, use basic concepts, highlight causal relationships, illustrate experience with relevant examples, and substantiate his conclusions.

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Examples List on Nursing Literature Reviews

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Nursing Literature Reviews Samples For Students

348 samples of this type

During studying in college, you will certainly need to compose a lot of Literature Reviews on Nursing. Lucky you if putting words together and turning them into meaningful content comes easy to you; if it's not the case, you can save the day by finding a previously written Nursing Literature Review example and using it as a template to follow.

This is when you will definitely find WowEssays' free samples database extremely helpful as it embodies numerous professionally written works on most various Nursing Literature Reviews topics. Ideally, you should be able to find a piece that meets your criteria and use it as a template to compose your own Literature Review. Alternatively, our competent essay writers can deliver you a unique Nursing Literature Review model written from scratch according to your personal instructions.

Violence in the Workplace Literature Review Sample

Literature review.

Over the past number of years, the issue of violence has generated a lot of concerns in the workplace. Different sectors experience different levels of workplace violence with 85 percent of non-fatal assaults occurring in retailing and service industries. The health care sector falls under the service industry and workers in this sector are at higher risks of workplace violence. It becomes hard to estimate the true incidence of violence towards health workers because of different definitions and data collection systems (Hartley, D., & Ridenour, 2011 #1).

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This essay covers the topic of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). ACOs are health care organizations envisaged in the Affordable Care Act with a health care delivery and reimbursement model that is based on quality metrics. ACOs are responsible for providing quality care and reducing the total cost of care and account for their services to patients and the payers of health care services. The focus of this essay is the benefits and the unintended consequences of ACOs.

Benefits of ACOs

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Objectives define the purpose of the practicum and also serve as the basis for evaluation. Activities that must be accomplished need to be identified as well to ensure the objectives are attainable. Following evaluation, the project presentation serves to disseminate the project results. In addition, creating a timeline assists in time management. Discussed below are the aforementioned components of the project.

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