The Purpose of a Review of Literature in a Nursing Research Proposal - Essay Example

Making evaluative statements about the literature under review helps the researcher in familiarizing him/herself with the problem under study, as well as in coming up with a workable thesis statement. To do this, the researcher should be sure to note the instruments used in the research, the size of the samples, the research design, and the research process to improve their understanding of the results from the research literature. The literature review involves both secondary and primary sources with primary sources being preferable since secondary sources could be distorted and result in biased thesis statements (Podsakoff et al, 2003).

Critical evaluation of the collected information is important and is best done through proper examination of all the publications’ components (vom Brocke et al, 2009). When doing research in nursing, the analysis of the clinical opinion is important for the evaluation of the logic that validates the conclusion made by the author. During the examination of the literature, a researcher should examine every component in the process, while also making judgments concerning whether the methods used are appropriate with regard to the conclusion the literature comes to. In order to come up with a clear problem statement and thesis statement, the most comprehensive method in searching for the literature is a combination of database searches and manual examination of periodicals and books. These should be done according to specificity, consistency, freedom from confounding variables and bias, and temporality (vom Brocke et al, 2009).

Where it is necessary, the healthcare staff is required to make rounds in the rooms to make checks on dressings, and PCA machines, among others (Timonen & Sihvonen, 2000). The majority of the research seems to have difficulty when it came to addressing the positive aspects of bedside reporting.

Some of the problems that can be isolated include; the number of nurses that the reports will be received from, incoming nurses who prefer to carry out their assessments during the bedside reporting time, and lack of nurses to do potty trips and get pain medications when the shift report time is ongoing. In addition to, nurses who get to the facility late or are incoming from other departments. Moreover, there was the identification of issues to do with waking patients who have difficulties going back to sleep, interruption of patient naps in the afternoon, and handling of patients’ visitors and family. Some nurses on the shift may also not be aware of pending assignments, such as the deterioration of a particular patient’s condition, as well as finding it difficult to concentrate on what is being said and writing it down when there is an interruption in the middle of the reporting exercise (Timonen & Sihvonen, 2000). The biggest problem, however, is that bedside reporting will lead to delays for nurses as they stay back in the patients’ rooms, especially at night, which could threaten their security after work hours.