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This article is an introduction to the language that is required to convey nursing knowledge through essays, dissertations, and articles in peer-reviewed journals. The tentative style of scholarly language is explored. Key elements of the uniform structure of headings, citations, and references are considered. Guidelines for reviewing one's own paper using computer-processing strategies are shared., (Copyright 2013, SLACK Incorporated.)

This article describes the most recent efforts by the Quad Council of Public Health Nursing organizations to review and revise the competencies for PHN practice, and highlights the implications of these competencies for practice, education, and research. The Quad Council is a coalition of four nursing organizations with a focus on public health nursing and includes the Association of Community Health Nursing Educators; the Association of Public Health Nursing (known prior to July 1, 2012 as the Association of State and Territorial Directors of Nursing); the Public Health Nursing section of the American Public Health Association; and the Council on Economics and Practice of the American Nurses' Association. The Quad Council competencies are based on the Council on Linkages competencies for public health professionals and were designed to ensure that public health nursing fits in the domain of public health science and practice., (© 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Why a dossier on qualitative research. The main reasons for a dossier on qualitative research are presented, together with strengths and weaknesses of qualitative research compared to quantitative. The different perspectives offered by the two methods on the exploration and interpretation of phenomena are briefly described.

Reflections on qualitative research. Interview of Luisa Saiani to Luigina Mortari. Luigina Mortari, an internationally known expert of epistemology and qualitative research, was interviewed to explore her thoughts on issues relevant for qualitative research: when a research question can be considered relevant; key methodological elements; ethical issues.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to provide researchers with a simplified approach to undertaking exploratory factor analysis for the assessment of construct validity., Methods: All articles published in 2010, 2011, and 2012 in Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing were reviewed and other relevant books and articles were chosen for the review., Results: In this paper, the following were discussed: preliminary analysis process of exploratory factor analysis to examine the sample size, distribution of measured variables, correlation coefficient, and results of KMO measure and Bartlett's test of sphericity. In addition, other areas to be considered in using factor analysis are discussed, including determination of the number of factors, the choice of rotation method or extraction method of the factor structure, and the interpretation of the factor loadings and explained variance., Conclusion: Content validity is the degree to which elements of an assessment instrument are relevant to and representative of the targeted construct for a particular assessment purpose. This measurement is difficult and challenging and takes a lot of time. Factor analysis is considered one of the strongest approaches to establishing construct validity and is the most commonly used method for establishing construct validity measured by an instrument.

This is a reflection about the paradigms of science and the contemporary challenges deriving from knowledge production, dissemination and use. The challenges are addressed with regard to research on nursing care, resources and political strategies in the area to overcome them. The arguments rest on nursing as a practical discipline and on the triad teaching-care-research, focused on users' demands, with a view to the promotion of health and wellbeing, within a care paradigm. Articulating the science models, expanding human, material and financial resources, investing in professional master's programs, in the expansion of academic graduate programs and in the formation of cooperation networks are some of the challenges and strategies indicated for the area to face the struggles in the hegemonic area of health, science and technology, so as to continue in the system.

Evidence-based practice and nursing research are fundamental to the profession of nursing. However, enculturating these processes into daily nursing practice presents challenges. In an effort to identify these challenges specific to our organization's nursing division, the Barriers to Nursing Research survey was distributed to staff nurses (n=239) to assess barriers in utilizing evidence-based practice and research in their daily practice. Based on these findings, our Evidence-Based Practice/Research Council developed a dissemination plan to be implemented over a 1 year time period that provided staff resources to implement evidence-based practice and nursing research. Upon completion of the year long implementation period, the same Barriers to Nursing Research survey was redistributed to staff (n=157). Pre and post survey results were compared for significance. Outcomes included an increase in projects, nurse driven research, and national presentations and publications., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The paper presents a meaningful learning tool known as Gowin's V and highlights the possibility of using it in the process of unpacking academic work in nursing. Our study aims to propose an amendment to this tool using the elements that comprise the procedural trajectory of the Theory of Nursing Praxis Intervention in Collective Health (TIPESC) and to analyze a dissertation produced in this field. This descriptive and exploratory study presents Gowin's V and proposes changes to its methodology. It thus shows the possibility of using this heuristic instrument to analyze academic work in nursing. Gowin's V has already proven to be useful in supporting teaching and learning processes and analyzing academic work in the area through its ability to capture and interpret any phenomenon articulated in the processes of social production and reproduction.

The impact of evidence-based practice (EBP) has echoed across nursing practice, education, and science. The call for evidence-based quality improvement and healthcare transformation underscores the need for redesigning care that is effective, safe, and efficient. In line with multiple direction-setting recommendations from national experts, nurses have responded to launch initiatives that maximize the valuable contributions that nurses have made, can make, and will make, to fully deliver on the promise of EBP. Such initiatives include practice adoption; education and curricular realignment; model and theory development; scientific engagement in the new fields of research; and development of a national research network to study improvement. This article briefly describes the EBP movement and considers some of the impact of EBP on nursing practice, models and frameworks, education, and research. The article concludes with discussion of the next big ideas in EBP, based on two federal initiatives, and considers opportunities and challenges as EBP continues to support other exciting new thinking in healthcare.

Objectives: To identify factors influencing research activity of Andalusian nurses and to find improvement strategies., Methods: Qualitative research using SWOT analysis (weaknesses, threats, strengths, opportunities). Nurses were selected deliberately in eight groups according to predetermined criteria. Analysis included categorization and relationship of factors and strategies., Results: 81 participants were included in groups of 7-12 range. 45 categories were identified with 212 factors: 12 weaknesses (50 factors), 10 strengths (44 factors), 12 threats (68 factors) and 11 opportunities (50 factors). In addition, 32 categories were identified with 53 strategies: 14 categories of W-T strategies (42 strategies), 3 categories of S-T strategies (11 strategies), 5 categories of W-O strategies (13 strategies) and 10 categories of S-O strategies (41 strategies)., Conclusion: Nurses identified numerous factors, mainly threats. The strategies are focused on W-T but they also suggest many but weak 5-0 strategies due to the low potential of the opportunities and strengths perceived.

Aim: To provide examples of a qualitative multiple case study to illustrate the specific strategies that can be used to ensure the credibility, dependability, confirmability and transferability of a study., Background: There is increasing recognition of the valuable contribution qualitative research can make to nursing knowledge. However, it is important that the research is conducted in a rigorous manner and that this is demonstrated in the final research report., Data Sources: A multiple case study that explored the role of the clinical skills laboratory in preparing students for the real world of practice. Multiple sources of evidence were collected: semi-structured interviews (n=58), non-participant observations at five sites and documentary sources., Discussion: Strategies to ensure the rigour of this research were prolonged engagement and persistent observation, triangulation, peer debriefing, member checking, audit trail, reflexivity, and thick descriptions. Practical examples of how these strategies can be implemented are provided to guide researchers interested in conducting rigorous case study research., Conclusion: While the flexible nature of qualitative research should be embraced, strategies to ensure rigour must be in place.

Purpose: The purpose of this article was to discuss common issues associated with large databases and present possible solutions to improve the quality and usefulness of large database research., Background: The volume of electronic healthcare-related data is growing exponentially. Some of these data are being stored in registries and administrative databases. These data repositories are increasingly common and can serve as sources of nurse-driven research and quality improvement activities. Although these large databases have a wealth of useful information, they have limitations that may bias results. These include missing data and cases, data accuracy and validity, and the statistical effect of large samples., Description: Researchers using large databases to address quality, safety, clinical, or systems issues have a variety of available techniques to deal with data issues. Proper data cleaning activities such as screening, visualization, and outlier/inlier identification are essential for addressing inaccurate values within large data sets. Common methods for addressing missing data include case analyses and various imputation techniques. Statistical approaches such as risk reductions and effect size are also useful when working with large sample sizes., Conclusion/implications: Registries and administrative databases provide healthcare researchers with increasing opportunities to address a wide variety of important practice and patient care questions. Healthcare researchers are encouraged to explore large data sets as they look for ways to improve patient safety and quality care, develop evidence-based practice guidelines, and fulfill regulatory and accreditation requirements.

The title of the text could be seen as the best and at the same time the main message of the paper. 30+1 is somehow an acronym which is spelled as follows: last year the 30th anniversary of the Journal was celebrated. One year later we try to translate that celebration into a conceptual, methodological, operational plan for a future, whose definition is the second part of the title: to be a responsible professional today coincide with the capacity of being, specifically in the area of nursing, a "full-time researcher". The reasons are detailed with the help of 5 slides whose synthetic text provides the rest of the : in a world society which is changing the term of reference for the role of health care in the society, the nursing profession cannot be trapped in increasingly administrative/managerial roles. Nurses must assume the old provocative task of representing, for the health care systems, (and the societies where they are expected to be indicator of rights) those who remind, and document that, technologies, or procedures, or package of interventions or supportive care cannot be appropriate nor cost effective if they are not a dependent variable with respect to the personal needs and care of the individual person/patient or populations.

This month, the director of the Magnet Recognition Program® provides an in-depth overview of the Magnet Recognition Program's Application Manual revision process. The history of the 2005 Manual revision, an evidence-based review of the literature, and revisions to the 2008 Manual are key elements of this article.

Introduction: Health systems and services research by nursing personnel could inform decision-making and nursing care, providing evidence concerning quality of and patient satisfaction. Such studies are rather uncommon in Cuban research institutes, where clinical research predominates., Objective: Assess the results of a strategy implemented between 2008 and 2011 to develop nursing capacity for health systems and services research in 14 national research institutes based in Havana., Methods: The study comprised four stages: description of approaches to health systems and services research by nurses worldwide and in Cuba; analysis of current capacities for such research in Cuba; intervention design and implementation; and evaluation. Various techniques were used including: literature review, bibliometric analysis, questionnaire survey, consultation with experts, focus groups, and workshops for participant orientation and design and followup of research projects. Qualitative information reduction and quantitative information summary methods were used. Initially, 32 nursing managers participated; a further 105 nurses from the institutes were involved in research teams formed during intervention implementation., Results: Of all published nursing research articles retrieved, 8.9% (185 of 2081) concerned health systems and services research, of which 26.5% (49 of 185) dealt with quality assessment. At baseline, 75% of Cuban nurses surveyed had poor knowledge of health systems and services research. Orientation, design and followup workshops for all institute teams developed individual and institutional capacity for health systems and services research. Post-intervention, 84.7% (27) of nurses reached good knowledge and 14.3% (5) fair; institutional research teams were formed and maintained in 9 institutes, and 13 projects designed and implemented (11 institutional, 2 addressing ministerial-level priorities) to research nursing issues at selected centers., Conclusions: A systematic strategy to build nursing capacity for health systems and services research can be effective in involving nurses in such research and in developing institutional support for it, fostering compliance with Cuban and international professional development priorities for nursing, as well as contributing to quality of patient services.

This article describes a collaborative project between clinical staff development professionals and a university associate professor of nursing to increase implementation of evidence-based practice in a clinical setting. The faculty member served as a mentor, helping nurses at the point of care who often lack the knowledge and skills to integrate evidence into practice. Outcomes of this project of benefit to staff development included education of the nurses on evidence-based practice, integration of evidence into policies, and development of a sustainable process to increase evidence-based practice.

Aim: This article is a report of a qualitative study of workplace health and safety issues in nursing research., Background: Researcher health and safety have become increasing concerns as there is an increased amount of research undertaken in the community and yet there is a lack of appropriate guidelines on how to keep researchers safe when undertaking fieldwork., Design: This study employed a descriptive qualitative approach, using different sources of data to find any references to researcher health and safety issues., Methods: A simple descriptive approach to inquiry was used for this study. Three approaches to data collection were used: interviews with 15 researchers, audits of 18 ethics applications, and exploration of the literature between 1992 and 2010 for examples of researcher safety issues. Data analysis from the three approaches identified participant comments, narrative descriptions or statements focused on researcher health and safety., Results: Nurse researchers' health and safety may be at risk when conducting research in the community. Particular concern involves conducting sensitive research where researchers are physically at risk of being harmed, or being exposed to the development of somatic symptoms. Nurse researchers may perceive the level of risk of harm as lower than the actual or potential harm present in research. Nurse researchers do not consistently implement risk assessment before and during research., Conclusions: Researcher health and safety should be carefully considered at all stages of the research process. Research focusing on sensitive data and vulnerable populations need to consider risk minimization through strategies such as appropriate researcher preparation, safety during data collection, and debriefing if required., (© 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.)

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the methodological quality of quantitative lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender nursing research from 2000 to 2010. Using a key word search in Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, 188 studies were identified and 40 met the criteria, which included descriptive, experimental, quasi-experimental, or observational (case control, cohort, and cross-sectional) design. The methodological quality of these studies was similar to that reported for medical and nursing educational research. The foci of these lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender studies were biased toward human immunodeficiency virus, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, and sexually transmitted diseases, and 58.5% of the funded research was related to human immunodeficiency virus or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. To provide evidence-based health care to these populations, an understanding of the current state of research is crucial.

In recent years, the use of metasynthesis as a research method has increased within nursing science. In the present paper, we focus on examining the phases of metasynthesis, using a study of patients' duties as an example. The aim of this paper is to increase the understanding of synthesis as a method in order to promote research trustworthiness by making the research process more transparent and thereby increasing the readers' awareness of it. We formulated a purpose for each phase of metasynthesis in order to better understand synthesis as a rational thinking process. We found that the collaboration of several researchers during all phases of metasynthesis is needed in order to maintain research ethics and trustworthiness. In addition, further study of the phases of metasynthesis is needed for improving research methods in order to produce new, accumulated knowledge based on previous qualitative study.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the different arts-based techniques being used in health-related research with children., Design and Methods: A systematic survey of literature was conducted., Results: Two hundred and ten articles were initially identified and reviewed. Of these, 116 met inclusion criteria of arts-based techniques in research with children 7-12 years of age. The different categories of techniques identified included (a) drawings, (b) photographs, (c) graphics, and (d) artifacts. Only 19% of the studies were health related. Further, 79% were conducted outside the United States, revealing that arts-based techniques appear to be underused by nurses and other healthcare researchers, especially in the United States., Practice Implications: To ensure that children actively engage in research involving them, nurses can familiarize themselves with and advocate for the use of arts-based techniques., (© 2011, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Authors, reviewers, and journal editors are responsible for ensuring that standards of research reporting include detailed descriptions of interventions. The impact of nursing intervention research is much reduced when interventions are poorly described. Nursing research reports often fail to detail descriptions of interventions sufficiently to move future research forward, apply new knowledge in practice, and refine theories. To address this deficit, the authors constructed detailed guidelines for reporting interventions. Based on a review of health care literature, these guidelines include a discussion of theoretical, participant, interventionist, content, and delivery intervention elements with rationale for their inclusion. Suggestions for presenting this information in limited journal space are also presented., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Nursing and other health sciences researchers increasingly find blogs to be valuable sources of information for investigating illness and other human health experiences. When researchers use blogs as their exclusive data source, they must discern the public/private aspects inherent in the nature of blogs in order to plan for appropriate protection of the bloggers' identities. Approaches to the protection of human subjects are poorly addressed when the human subject is a blogger and the blog is used as an exclusive source of data. Researchers may be assisted to protect human subjects via a decisional framework for assessing a blog author's intended position on the public/private continuum., (Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Nursing journal peer reviewers (N = 1,675) completed a 69-item online survey that assessed their views on manuscripts' contributions to nursing, priorities in writing reviews, use of journal impact factor, and other areas related to indicators of quality. They reported using contribution to knowledge or research evidence, topic of current interest, and newly emerging area as indicators of a manuscript's contribution to nursing. In writing their reviews, research rigor and clinical relevance of the manuscript were high priorities. Those familiar with the concept of impact factor were significantly more often not nurses; not United States residents; involved in research; and most often reviewed for journals that published only research or a scholarly mix of research, reviews, policy, and theory. When judging a paper's contribution, nursing journal peer reviewers weigh both research and clinical interests. Most reviewers do not use impact factors and place clinical considerations ahead of impact factors.

Reflexivity is an English term that Spanish speaking people have to assign a technical meaning. Reflexivity expresses the conscience of researchers conscience and refers to their connection with the study's situation. It is a process by which researchers step back to critically exam the effect they have on the study and the impact of their interactions with participants. The reflexive process is embedded in all research levels and is present in all the research phases, from the research question to fieldwork, from data analysis to writing the final report. Nevertheless, the question is not so much to engage in reflective activities but to be a reflexive researcher. Reflexivity is a human ability that is present during social interactions. For this reason it is present in qualitative research. A self inquirer can be addressed as it is constructed by the relationships and interactions that are established with study participants. Reflexivity has an educational character that continues after the study is completed., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To define and prioritise the future research lines of the Andalusian Association of Community Nursing (ASANEC)., Method: Application of the Delphi technique within the members of the Working Group of the Research area of ASANEC, consisting of Community nurses from clinical and educational settings, as regards research in seven Andalusian provinces. Three rounds of participation were performed, with the last one being prioritised using a Linear Scale. Averages and standard deviations have been calculated., Results: The total number of participants on this technique was 13 professionals (54.16%). The main research lines finally agreed and prioritised, were the following, in decreasing order: «care management», «quality of life», «lifestyles and health education in children and adolescent population», «design and validation of nursing assessment tools», «patient safety», «accessibility to healthcare services and development of self-care capacity»., Conclusions: Research on the new model of care management introduced into Andalusian primary care was given priority, although there are more emerging research lines related to Health Promotion and Prevention of Health problems in the general population, children, young people and vulnerable populations. These results have been the deciding factors in the choice of the current research lines developed by the ASANEC Research Group., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.)

Advanced practice nurses, including midwives, are well positioned to conduct, participate, or both in both basic and translational research to improve the outcomes and processes of perinatal care. This article contains suggestions for future research by perinatal advanced practice nurses, conceptualized around a scale to promote balance in outcomes. More research is needed in a number of areas, examples include collaborative practice, normal birth, and translation of the evidence concerning skin-to-skin practice. Health disparities; maternal, neonatal, and infant morbidity and mortality; formula feeding; and other vulnerabilities need more research to decrease these problematic outcomes. Advanced practice nurses are encouraged to be actively involved in perinatal research, to help confront and reduce health disparities, and to apply evidence in practice, broadly promoting wellness for women and their families.

There are many interventions performed as a part of the active management of labor and birth that have remained unchanged over the years. Separating ritual from beneficial nursing care can guide the development of a research agenda. The agenda for the next 10 years can address some of the gaps remaining in the evidence-based foundation for routine interventions used during labor and birth. The gaps identify areas where unanswered questions prevent optimal care from occurring. These unanswered questions include optimal time for epidural administration; management of maternal movement during labor when routine interventions make this difficult; changing the practice of immediate, closed glottis coached pushing at 10 cm; continuous electronic fetal monitoring; routine administration of intravenous fluids; and finally, the use of oxytocin as augmentation or induction of labor.

Family-centered developmental care is an essential element of neonatal intensive care. It is of particular importance when the infant is vulnerable and at greater risk for poor outcomes complicated by a family unit that is easily challenged by the unique needs of the infant. Yet, all infants and their families deserve this philosophy of caregiving. Family-centered developmental care must continue to be tested through research to determine which interventions work, what does not work, and which interventions need further refinement. This article provides a brief history of where we have been in neonatal caregiving, provides definitions for family-centered developmental caregiving and offers some "predictions" about where these practices need to be in the next century. Research questions and strategies are also addressed. As we continue to forge ahead integrating this philosophy into the caregiving arena, it is important to remember that there are many unanswered questions.

High-quality perinatal nursing care should be based on the best evidence including research findings, clinical expertise, and the preferences of women and their families. Principles of perinatal research initiatives are defined, with suggested research priorities designed to close current gaps in the micro and macro environments of perinatal nursing throughout the world. Nearly a decade ago, the following question was asked, "Where is the 'E' (evidence) in maternal child health?" Improving the quality and safety of perinatal nursing care for culturally diverse women globally is the primary goal of nurse researchers leading the future of perinatal healthcare.

Aim: The purpose of this paper is to identify practical suggestions that could enable other researchers to consider how quality may be evidenced using constructivist principles including the perspectives of older people and their caregivers., Background: Constructivism suggests that reality is part of a social construction, which holds different meanings for each person, in which people are active agents, making autonomous decisions. This approach to research has been identified as suitable for health and social care professionals because these underpinning principles reflect the values of these professions, facilitating the involvement of users and carers. The authenticity criteria have been developed to reflect these philosophical principles but have been criticized for their inaccessible language. To incorporate user and carer perspectives, the criteria have been revised into a more accessible model matrix known as the AldreVast Sjuharad criteria., Discussion: This paper reports on two constructivist studies that explored relationships between older people, families and staff in different settings--the community and care homes. Examples from both settings demonstrate how the perspectives of users and carers were incorporated throughout the research process. Following the AldreVast Sjuharad model matrix, practical guidance is provided on how the quality of constructivist research may be implemented in nursing research., Conclusions: The different settings in this paper influenced how the AldreVast Sjuharad model matrix was applied. Further work is needed in exploring how the perspective of users and carers may be incorporated into the quality process of constructivist research., (© 2010 The Authors. Journal of Advanced Nursing © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.)

Bibliographic research developed among the 24 fascicles from the "Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem" presented in the SciELO database, from 2005 to 2008. The objective was to identify emergent themes on qualitative researches published on a nursing periodic; correlate theses themes with the knowledge production in nursing and reflect about the social role of these qualitative researches analyzed. After analysis, 173 qualitative studies were identified, and three categories arose: nursing training, areas of practice, nursing care basis/ principles/ conceptions, and professional issues. In the relationship among the categories, the patterns of knowledge and the social role highlight the social-political knowledge, reflecting the profession maturation regarding intrinsic social issues, part of it social body; and extrinsic, the demands from society.

Pilot intervention studies can be viewed as rehearsals for subsequent full-scale trials. They can help investigators fine-tune later larger studies as well as explore issues related to project management and budget. Pilot studies permit testing of sampling strategies, participant recruitment, intervention content, delivery methods, data collection, and analysis. They also allow researchers to experience the more practical aspects of implementing a study, such as determining the number of study staff members needed to handle recruitment and data collection or identifying special equipment needs. Because pilot study findings may be generalizable, publication is encouraged as long as the preliminary nature of the work is clearly indicated in both the abstract and the article. The present article provides an overview of the types of information that can be gleaned from pilot intervention studies that are suitable for publication.

The novelty of the reform of the nursing training programme lies in the fact that it focuses on skills development. The training of child care nurses is also due to be reformed in the months to come. A different concept, an evolution, the influence of pedagogical trends: an assessment of the reform in progress.