NURSING

Research for nursing

Papers a nurse can act on, across critical and emergency care, medical-surgical, mental health, paediatrics and neonatal, maternity, older adults, community and primary care, and oncology and palliative care. Each is read in full rather than from its abstract.

10,756 PAPERS · PAGE 179 OF 216 · NEWEST FIRST

• OTRNQualitative2025Exploring how 'wish-granting' interventions foster wellbeing for children with life-threatening health conditions and their families: A qualitative study.Journal of child health care : for professionals working with children in the hospital and communityFamilies and professionals described wish-granting as creating joy, anticipation, and shared memories that helped children with life-threatening conditions cope with treatment and see new possibilities. It reports experiences, not proof the intervention works.
• RNCohort2025The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on longitudinal trends of surgical mortality and inpatient quality of care in Ontario, Canada.Journal of advanced nursingDuring the pandemic, Ontario hospital records showed more delirium, pressure injuries, aspiration, blood clots, catheter infections, C. difficile, restraint use, and worse mortality after bladder and open abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery, while lung resection mortality improved.
• RNMeta-Analysis2025Patient positioning on the operating table and patient safety: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of advanced nursingPatient positioning during surgery was linked to nerve, skin, eye and muscle injuries. Prone positioning had the highest reported harm risk, but occurrence was uncertain across studies.
• RNOther2025Climate change effects in older people's health: A scoping review.Journal of advanced nursingHeat, cold, air pollution and extreme weather are linked to more hospitalizations, deaths, cognitive decline and mental health problems in older adults. Nurses should monitor dehydration, breathing, heart, kidney and mood changes during climate events.
• RNQualitative2025Adolescents' Experience of Pain: A Focus Group Study in Sweden.The Journal of school nursing : the official publication of the National Association of School NursesAdolescents described pain as a warning bell from stress, schoolwork, relationships, and grief. They managed it by distracting themselves, enduring, using painkillers or heat pads, and asking parents, friends, or school nurses for help.
• PTOTRNOther2026Multidimensional associations of physical performance, balance, wellness and daily activities with frailty in older adults with coexisting frailty and diabetes.Journal of clinical nursingIn older adults with diabetes and frailty, faster walking and sit-to-stand movement, better one-leg balance, more moderate-to-vigorous activity, less dependence, better nutrition and health perception were associated with being pre-frail rather than frail. Higher depression scores were associated with being frail.
• RNQualitative2026What are the barriers and facilitators to advance care planning with older people in long-term care facilities? A qualitative study.Journal of clinical nursingIn Chinese long-term care, families and staff often avoided death talk, residents' spontaneous end-of-life wishes were interrupted, and guardians' decisions were legally uncertain. Nurses may need to capture these talks, assess readiness, and clarify palliative options.
• RNSystematic Review2025Determinants of the optimal selection of vascular access devices: A systematic review underpinned by the COM-B behavioural model.Journal of advanced nursingVascular access studies mostly described training, equipment, algorithms, and difficulty scales. Only one addressed motivation, so why clinicians choose an appropriate catheter remains poorly explained.
• RNPilot2025Translating 'proportionate universal healthcare' into meaningful system design to optimize equity in child and family services.Journal of advanced nursingChild and family health nursing contacts before redesign did not vary by family risk. In the pilot, nurses reported less faking but no burnout improvement, while MECSH home-visiting families showed increased good ability to adapt and self-manage.
• RNSurvey2025Achieving consensus on the key elements of a nurse-led multidisciplinary chronic heart failure service in Thailand: An e-Delphi study.Journal of advanced nursingThai clinicians agreed a nurse-led heart failure service should focus on education and monitoring, not self-adjusting diuretics. They rejected patient medication changes due to low health literacy, prioritizing weight tracking and office-hours access instead.
• RNOther2025Building a baby-friendly community: Development, strategy, implementation and evaluation of a BFCI program.Journal of advanced nursingBaby-friendly community workshops increased women's confidence in breastfeeding and improved public venue staff knowledge and attitudes after training. The before-and-after design, heavy attrition, and short follow-up mean this shows learning changes, not proven breastfeeding duration.
• RNQualitative2025Adolescent and caregiver perceptions of addressing mental health in inflammatory bowel disease.Journal of child health care : for professionals working with children in the hospital and communityAdolescents with IBD and caregivers said stigma, trust, and who was present shaped mental health talks. Direct, nonjudgmental questions were valued, but written screening alone was not enough. Ask each patient how they want these conversations.
• RNQualitative2025Factors that support children and young people to express their views and to have them heard in healthcare: An inductive qualitative content analysis.Journal of child health care : for professionals working with children in the hospital and communityTwenty children aged 7 to 18 said being heard depended on staff making time, building trusting relationships, using understandable words, including them in team meetings, and family support.
• RNSurvey2025The effect of missed care on the nursing image perceived by patients and their trust relationships with nurses.International nursing reviewPatients reporting more missed nursing care trusted nurses less and viewed the profession more negatively. Communication gaps and unmet basic care were especially tied to lower trust. This was a patient-report survey, so it shows association, not cause.
• RNOther2025Implementation of Positive Advanced Recovery Connections in Primary and Secondary Mental Health Care-A Registered Advanced Nurse Practitioner-Led Initiative.Journal of advanced nursingPeople referred to a nurse-led mental health clinic reported lower distress, symptoms and functioning problems after assessment, CBT, Decider Skills and signposting. Most were offered an appointment within one week; mild secondary-care cases made up 50% then 28% of caseload.
• RNOther2025Nursing assessment of mental health issues in the general clinical environment: A descriptive study.Journal of advanced nursingIn four general hospital wards, nurses screened 293 of 397 patients for mental health concerns; 20 were identified. Only 9 were referred, and past psychiatric or trauma histories were often missed.
• RNMeta-Analysis2024The Relationship Between Illness Uncertainty and Social Support Among Cancer Patients: A Meta-analysis.Cancer nursingAmong cancer patients, higher illness uncertainty tended to go with lower social support. The link was moderate, varied by cancer type and country, and was not explained by age or gender.
• RNSurvey2024Relationships Between Socio-behavioral Factors and the Symptoms Among Asian American Breast Cancer Survivors: A Structural Equation Modeling.Cancer nursingIn 195 Asian American breast cancer survivors, stronger belief in coping with cancer was associated with less physical and psychological symptom distress. Attitudes and social influences related to symptoms through this belief; barriers also related directly to symptoms.
• RNSurvey2026Factors Associated with Advance Care Planning Engagement Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study.Journal of clinical nursingOlder adults with higher anxiety or decisional conflict engaged less in advance care planning. Depression showed no association. Decisional conflict mediated the link between anxiety and reduced engagement, suggesting clarity in care options is key.
• RNSystematic Review2026Virtual reality-based reminiscence therapy for older adults to improve psychological well-being and cognition: A systematic review.Journal of clinical nursingOlder adults generally enjoyed virtual reality reminiscence and had little cybersickness, but effects on anxiety, depression and cognition were mixed. It may help recall personal memories, not prove broader cognitive or mood benefits.
• RNSystematic Review2025Planetary Health in Nursing: A Scoping Review.Journal of advanced nursingMost nursing literature on planetary health consists of editorials and calls to action rather than original research. Only six of the included studies were original research, leaving a significant gap in evidence on how nurses can effectively integrate planetary health into practice.
• RNQualitative2025Nurse-sensitive quality and benchmarking in hospitals striving for Magnet® or Pathway® designation: A qualitative study.Journal of advanced nursingManagers in German hospitals seeking Magnet or Pathway designation found nurse-sensitive data scarce. Pressure ulcer and fall tracking was inconsistent. They identified clinician buy-in, academic nursing staff, and electronic records as prerequisites for any meaningful benchmarking.
• RNOther2025Implementation frameworks, strategies and outcomes in optimizing central venous access device practice in paediatrics: A scoping review.Journal of advanced nursingPaediatric central line care studies mostly used quality improvement, education, bundles and working groups, but many lacked formal frameworks or cost outcomes, so it is hard to know which implementation efforts work.
• RNRCT2025Integrated pulmonary index during procedural sedation and analgesia: A cluster-randomized trial.Journal of advanced nursingEnabling the Integrated Pulmonary Index did not reduce the time alarms ran before nurses intervened during nurse-administered sedation. In patients who desaturated, oxygen desaturation burden was lower, but this was a secondary finding.
• RNSystematic Review2025Care quality and safety in long-term aged care settings: A systematic review and narrative analysis of missed care measurements.Journal of advanced nursingThere is no established gold standard for measuring missed care in long-term aged care. Most tools rely on staff self-report, and evidence is too weak to recommend one.
• RNOther2025Advancing evidence-based practice through the Knowledge Translation Challenge: Nurses' important roles in research, implementation science and practice change.Journal of advanced nursingAcross the KT Challenge, 15 of 30 teams showed practice uptake; 5 more had anecdotal evidence. In a clozapine case study, a multi-component toolkit was associated with preprinted order use in 96% and increased monitoring adherence in 298 admissions.
• RNSurvey2025Undergoing Orthopaedic Day Surgery: What Factors Are Associated With patients' Feeling of Safety and Their Recovery?Journal of clinical nursingPatients after orthopaedic day surgery who were more anxious before surgery felt less safe and reported poorer recovery. Those with previous surgery felt safer. Feeling safer was linked with better recovery.
• RNOther2025Safety in spinal surgery-Empowering clinicians to report concerns in motor function.Journal of advanced nursingA trust-wide education and documentation package increased staff confidence in assessing spinal motor function. Nurses reported feeling more competent to identify deterioration, but the study measured self-reported confidence rather than patient outcomes or actual assessment accuracy.
• RNCase Report2025Caregiver Distress: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Patient Care.The American journal of hospice & palliative careSpouses of dying cancer patients became distressed when illness worsened and decisions shifted to them. Education, psychoeducation, rapport-building, supportive care, spiritual care and, where used, family therapy accompanied end-of-life decisions.
• RNQualitative2026Women's Lived Experiences in the Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Breast Cancer Management: A Phenomenological Study.Journal of holistic nursing : official journal of the American Holistic Nurses' AssociationWomen with breast cancer in Indonesia described using CAM because medical care was far or unaffordable, family and fear of surgery or chemotherapy influenced them, and they reported perceived pain relief, harms, and treatment delays.
• PTOTSLPRNSystematic Review2026Perceptions and Experiences of Animal-Assisted Interventions for People Living With Dementia: A Qualitative Evidence Synthesis.Journal of clinical nursingPeople with dementia often engage with animal-assisted interventions after initial hesitation, driven by prior positive experiences with animals. Success depends on flexible, individualized sessions and staff training to manage sensory overload, fall risks, and behavioral challenges in care homes.
• RNQualitative2025Empowering Support for Family Members of Patients With Traumatic Brain Injury During the Acute Care: Insights From Family Members and Nurses.Journal of advanced nursingFamily members and nurses agreed acute brain injury care should give timely clear information, hope, participation and support services. They disagreed about delivery: families wanted nurses to guide and stay; nurses cited time, roles and systems.
• RNCohort2025A Comprehensive Assessment of the Environmental Impact of Different Infant Feeding Types: The Observational Study GREEN MOTHER.Journal of advanced nursingExclusive breastfeeding had lower environmental impact than formula feeding, even after accounting for breast pumps and accessories. Maternal diet impacts did not differ by feeding type. The study reports environmental impacts, not infant health benefits.
• RNCase Series2025Case Series of Akathisia in Palliative Medicine: Patient Perspective and Efficacy of Procyclidine in Diagnosis and Management.The American journal of hospice & palliative carePalliative patients with antiemetic-induced akathisia described inner restlessness as being locked in or in a glass coffin. Procyclidine was given, and inciting drugs were stopped or switched; 17 of 19 documented responses were within hours, but this cannot prove procyclidine works.
• RNSystematic Review2025Parents' perceptions of patient safety in paediatric hospital care-A mixed-methods systematic review.Journal of advanced nursingParents of hospitalized children are willing and ready to help monitor safety, but they often stay silent for fear of appearing rude or causing trouble for their child. Clinicians must explicitly invite parents to speak up and verify care details to unlock this safety resource.
• RNSystematic Review2025Injection Techniques to Reduce Adverse Effects of Subcutaneous Low-Molecular-Weight Heparin Among Patients With Cardiovascular Diseases: A Scoping Review.Journal of advanced nursingSlow subcutaneous LMWH injection over 30 seconds and abdominal injection sites were associated with less pain and bruising in the included studies, but pressure and cold timing varied, and no single technique was established.
• RNOther2025Successful Refugee Cohabitation With Host Families: A Concept Analysis and Model Development.Journal of holistic nursing : official journal of the American Holistic Nurses' AssociationRefugee cohabitation with host families is framed by peaceful coexistence, power dynamics, hospitality and cultural tolerance. No validated measure captures the full concept, so this is a framework, not tested care.
• RNSurvey2025Impact of Shared Decision-Making on Family Satisfaction With Intensive Care Services: 'Share With Care' has a New Meaning in ICU.The American journal of hospice & palliative careConsistent information and frequent communication with doctors remained linked to ICU family satisfaction after other factors were considered. Give families the same clear, honest picture each time, and update them often.
• RNSurvey2025Children's and parents' attitudes to and knowledge about HPV vaccination following a targeted information intervention.Journal of child health care : for professionals working with children in the hospital and communityMost children were already vaccinated, and parents trusted school nurses most for HPV information. Still, many families had not seen the national information package, and parents worried about side effects.
• RNSurvey2026Planning for the Future: Advance Care Planning Knowledge, Discussion and Decision-Making Among Older, Sexual Minority Adults.The American journal of hospice & palliative careAmong older sexual minority adults, White participants were significantly more likely to know about and discuss advance care planning than Black participants. Comfort with medical decision-making was linked to age and health status, but income and marital status showed unexpected associations.
• PTRNMeta-Analysis2025Non-Pharmacological Sleep Interventions after Cardiac Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials.Journal of clinical nursingNon-drug sleep interventions after cardiac surgery improved patient-reported sleep quality, but sleep duration did not show a clear improvement. The evidence is low quality and very varied, so no single technique is proven best.
• RNSystematic Review2025Palliative Care Referral in Adult Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplants: An Integrative Literature Review.The American journal of hospice & palliative careAdult allogeneic HSCT patients have high symptom and distress needs. Palliative care was associated with improved quality of life and lower symptom burden, but misconceptions and timing mean early referral is uncommon.
• RNQualitative2025Using FRAME Documentation to Achieve RE-AIM Goals During Iterative, Stakeholder-Engaged Refinement of a Family Management Intervention for Parents of Preterm Infants.Journal of advanced nursingParents and NICU clinicians asked for a video parent-training program for very preterm infants to be easier to access, more inclusive, and less dependent on staff time. Nurses may use these requests to adapt parent education, but no tested effects on parents or infants.
• RNQualitative2025Adapting Advance Care Planning Interventions for Hispanic Communities Across the U.S.The American journal of hospice & palliative careCertified translation alone failed to adapt advance care planning tools for diverse Hispanic communities due to dialect differences. Adding Spanish-speaking staff resolved engagement barriers, while RSVP systems proved culturally incompatible and were retained despite host resistance.
• RNOther2025Adolescent Chlamydia Screening in Pediatric Primary Care: A Quality Improvement Project.Journal of advanced nursingScreening for chlamydia at adolescent well visits rose from 7.8% to 34.1% when all adolescents were offered testing, regardless of reported sexual activity, through a bundled workflow; 32 chlamydia and 4 gonorrhea cases were identified.
• RNSystematic Review2025Crying wolf, alarm safety and management in paediatrics: A scoping review.Journal of advanced nursingAlarm definitions and measurement methods vary widely across 37 paediatric and neonatal studies, preventing comparison of interventions. Most research focuses on critical care in the US. Changing alarm parameters is the most common strategy, but inconsistent terminology makes it impossible to determine which approaches truly improve patient safety.
• RNSurvey2025What Are the Infection Prevention Behaviors of Kidney Transplant Recipients and the Factors Related to These?Journal of clinical nursingKidney transplant recipients reported incomplete infection prevention: 51.35% washed hands frequently, 61% had flu vaccine, 49% pneumococcal. Many did not take travel precautions. Nurses should ask specific behaviours, not assume adherence.
• RNOther2025Returning to Work After Cancer Treatment: An Exploratory Sequential Mixed-Methods Study Guided by Transitions Theory.Cancer nursingCancer survivors returning to work reported anxiety, fear of recurrence, and relationship strain alongside lost productivity. They said gradual returns, workplace flexibility, and clear information about treatment effects helped; some had not been told about cognitive changes.
• PTOTSLPRNOther2025Palliative Home Care Based on Clinically Relevant Scientific Measures: A Cross-Sectional Study.The American journal of hospice & palliative carePatients with heart failure and dementia and their caregivers rated symptoms similarly, but caregivers reported more concern about pain and information needs. Higher patient symptom scores predicted worse heart health and greater caregiver burden. The practical problems item did not agree between pairs.
• RNRCT2025Implementing the MIRROR-TCM Randomised Control Trial During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed-Methods Evaluation.Journal of advanced nursingIn a nurse-led transitional care model for older adults, time-sensitive post-discharge visits were often missed during COVID-19. Only 14.3% of patients for whom a skilled nursing facility visit was relevant received it within 24 hours.