Topic Exploration and Database Searches
my Topic is improving infectious management / Hand washing
As part of the week’s discussion, each student will perform a literature search on their identified topic. When performing a literature search for evidence, it is important to document where and how you’ve searched for the evidence. Conducting a systematic review of the literature and properly documenting your findings will assist you in identifying the “best available evidence” on your topic.
Compare and contrast the following types of research/scholarly articles:
Literature search (identify the criteria to determine if a source is scholarly and how to choose scholarly references)
Literature review (identify the purpose and scope)
Systematic review (discuss the steps involved in conducting systematic reviews)
Meta-analysis.
Read and review the three articles below. Based upon the Johns Hopkins Level of Evidence Quality Guide categorize each article and provide rationale for your decision-making.
Article 1 (Links to an external site.)
Article 2 (Links to an external site.)
Article 3 (Links to an external site.)
For this question, you will prepare to search for articles and reflect on your findings along the way (copy and paste these questions into your reply with your answers in a different color so it is easier for all to identify/read:
Describe your topic of interest by writing one sentence.
Break your area of interest into the main ideas (the who, what, and where of your topic), such as: population, clinical concern, desired outcome, intervention, interventions to be compared, etc.
Brainstorm 3-4 possible keywords or phrases for each main idea. Be as specific as possible. For example, if you used the word “pediatric” in the sentence above, consider, instead, using more specific synonyms:
adolescent, teenager, young adult
child, children, youth
infants, newborns, babies
List at least two limiters such as: date and language of publication. Some databases also offer limits such as: geographic region, nursing specialty, patient population, and more.
Finding highly relevant articles may require trial and error, revising your search words based on the results you get, and broadening or narrowing the scope of your question. Try various searches using main ideas, keywords, and limits in Google Scholar (Links to an external site.) (configuration instructionsLinks to an external site.) PLUS one of the following databases, linked from the Nursing Subject GuideLinks to an external site.:
CINAHL Complete
Health Source Nursing/Academic
Nursing & Allied Health
OVID Nursing Fulltext Journals
Find one article related to your topic of interest (attach the article with your reply for peer review).
Describe which database, search words, and limits you used to find this article.
Read, critique and evaluate the article
Identify and evaluate the levels of evidence using the Johns Hopkins Level of Evidence Quality Guide Download Johns Hopkins Level of Evidence Quality Guide. Download.
Synthesize your findings from the article, including what you learned after evaluating the level of evidence and the impact potential of the findings.
Add this to your W4 Evidence Table and Search Terms Assignment.