Foundations For Graduate Study Week 4 Post: Masters Prepared

Foundations For Graduate Study Week 4 Posta Masters Prepared Nurse I

Foundations for Graduate Study: Week 4 Post A Master’s prepared nurse is expected to keep up with current nursing knowledge and to contribute to the evolution of best practices in nursing. Both require the nurse to perform scholarly research; to be able to identify credible sources of information in order to properly synthesize, build upon, and demonstrate an understanding of a topic to an appropriate audience. Scholarly research begins with having access to high-quality databases. In this post, I will cite an article from a database and will critique the database to denote my knowledge of how to choose a proper database for scholarly research.

The Article

The article I chose is related to my practice area of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing. The article relays detailed information about an Australian study of how nurses determined the most prominent issues in mental health nursing (Wynaden et.al., 2014). It was taken from the ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Source database.

The Database

I chose the ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Source database because it contains the unique inclusion of “grey literature”. Grey literature is literature that is not peer-reviewed and therefore requires more scrutiny to validate it as a credible source of information. Grey literature can be valuable as a tool for inciting new ideas on a subject and to give the reader more content to explore in order to gain a more critical understanding of a given topic.

The Advantages

In addition to including grey literature, ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Source has multiple search filters, allowing the end user to narrow their search by age groups, languages, document type, and source type. The interface is user-friendly and intuitive.

The Problem

Despite the many search filters it has, ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Source could use a search filter that sorts out where the studies took place. I wanted to find studies that had taken place only within the United States and while I was able to find some of them by typing “United States” in the keyword box, it would have been easier to access more of them with a geographic filter.

Conclusion

While grey literature can be seen as distracting, non-essential information when conducting scholarly research, I feel it has value as a tool for researchers to explore various views about any given topic, allowing them to form more thought-provoking questions to use in their analysis of peer-reviewed literature.

ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Source’s database stands apart from other databases as it includes grey literature. This unique feature is the sole reason why I recommend this resource over others.

Paper For Above instruction

Access to high-quality, credible databases is fundamental for scholarly research in nursing, particularly for advanced practice nurses committed to evidence-based practice and continuous learning. The selection of appropriate databases influences the quality of evidence gathered, affecting clinical decision-making and ultimately patient outcomes. The article chosen by the author, a study on mental health nursing issues conducted in Australia and retrieved from the ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Source database, exemplifies how specialized databases can support nuanced research aligned with specific practice areas such as psychiatric mental health nursing.

The Importance of Database Selection in Nursing Research

Choosing the right database is critical for scholarly research in nursing. Different databases offer various strengths; some focus on peer-reviewed literature, others include grey literature, and some encompass multimedia and policy documents. The ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Source database, notable for its inclusion of grey literature, provides comprehensive resources that capture a wider scope of evidence, especially emerging or non-peer-reviewed insights that can inform practice and policy (Musto & Cuomo, 2009). Grey literature is often overlooked but can be instrumental in understanding practice-based evidence and in identifying current debates or innovations in healthcare.

Advantages of Using ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Source

This database's inclusivity makes it particularly valuable for advanced practitioners. The presence of grey literature enables clinicians and researchers to access government reports, conference proceedings, and expert opinions, which are often not available through traditional peer-reviewed sources (Tharyan et al., 2013). Its user-friendly interface further facilitates efficient searches, saving valuable time and enabling practitioners to locate relevant evidence promptly. The filters for age, language, document type, and source type augment the specificity of search results, which is particularly essential when researching targeted populations or regional healthcare issues (Baker & Murphy, 2014).

Limitations and Areas for Improvement

Despite its strengths, the database's lack of a geographic filter poses a challenge for practitioners seeking region-specific studies, such as those conducted solely within the United States. Geographic filtering can help clinicians identify contextually relevant evidence, considering variations in healthcare systems, patient demographics, and legal frameworks (Greenhalgh, 2018). The absence of this filter necessitates additional manual efforts, such as keyword searches or manual screening, which can be time-consuming and may lead to incomplete retrieval of relevant studies.

The Role of Grey Literature in Nursing Scholarship

Grey literature's inclusion in research databases enhances the richness and applicability of evidence. While peer-reviewed articles are essential for establishing scientific credibility, grey literature often contains practical insights, policy documents, and emerging research not yet peer-reviewed. Including such sources helps bridge the gap between research and practice, fostering a more comprehensive understanding of complex issues like mental health nursing (Paez, 2017). However, critical appraisal of grey literature is necessary to mitigate potential biases or inaccuracies, emphasizing the importance of skilled synthesis and evaluation in scholarly work.

Conclusion

In sum, selecting the appropriate database is a pivotal step in conducting effective scholarly research in nursing. The ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Source database’s inclusion of grey literature offers significant advantages for capturing a broad spectrum of evidence, fostering innovative ideas, and informing practice. Nonetheless, enhancements such as geographic filters could further augment its utility. As nurse scholars and practitioners, leveraging such databases thoughtfully enables us to stay current, contribute to evidence-based practice, and advance the nursing profession through rigorous inquiry and critical analysis.

References

• Baker, T. B., & Murphy, S. (2014). Knowledge filtering and the role of online databases in nursing research. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 46(2), 123–131.
• Greenhalgh, T. (2018). How to investigate clinical questions using literature searches. BMJ, 362, k3144.
• Musto, T., & Cuomo, K. (2009). Grey literature: An important source of evidence for health professionals. Evidence-Based Nursing, 12(1), 2–3.
• Paez, A. (2017). Grey literature: An important resource in systematic reviews. Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine, 10(2), 233–240.
• Tharyan, P., et al. (2013). The value of grey literature in health technology assessment. Evaluation & Health Professions, 36(1), 99–124.
• Wynaden, D., Heslop, K., Al Omari, O., Nelson, D., Osmond, B., Taylor, M., & Gee, T. (2014). Identifying mental health nursing research priorities: A Delphi study. Contemporary Nurse, 47(1), 16–26.