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.

1,865 PAPERS · PAGE 4 OF 38 · NEWEST FIRST

• RNSystematic Review2025Nurse-Led Models of Service Delivery for Skin Cancer Detection: A Systematic Review.Journal of advanced nursingNurse-led skin cancer clinics provided assessment, treatment and education, and one nurse-led eyelid service achieved accuracy similar to physician-led care. Evidence was limited, so use local governance and clear role explanations.
• RNSurvey2025Association Between Red Cell Index and Depressive Symptoms in NHANES (2005-2018): A Cross-sectional Study.Cancer nursingAmong US cancer survivors, a blood index called RCI was not clearly linked to fewer depressive symptoms after accounting for demographics, blood tests, smoking and common illnesses. A lower likelihood appeared only below a threshold value.
• RNMeta-Analysis2025The Effectiveness of Acupressure on Sleep Quality in Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials.Journal of clinical nursingAcupressure improved sleep quality in cancer patients, with effects seen at four weeks. The trials varied widely and likely missed negative trials, so treat it as a possible supportive symptom-care option, not a proven cure.
• RNMeta-Analysis2025Effectiveness of patient decision aids for cardiovascular decisions: systematic review with sex/gender-based analysis.European journal of cardiovascular nursingThe main measure of whether choices matched patients' values did not improve with cardiovascular decision aids. They did improve knowledge, risk perception, feeling informed, clarity about values, and patient-clinician communication.
• RNOther2025Community Supervision Engagement to Examine Health Outcomes: A Scoping Review.Public health nursing (Boston, Mass.)Only 11 studies were found for people on probation or parole, and the one randomized trial found no effect on probation violations. Collaboration and empathy were reported as factors that supported care access, while stigma, transport and medication gaps were reported as barriers.
• RNSystematic Review2026Clinical Guidelines for Virtual Health Assessment and Care: A Scoping Review.Journal of advanced nursingClinically focused guidelines for virtual health assessment remain sparse despite widespread telehealth use. Most existing resources prioritize technical logistics over patient care. Nurses and clinicians lack standardized frameworks for safe triage, physical examination, and follow-up in virtual settings.
• RNSystematic Review2026Substance Use Disorders in Adolescents: A Qualitative Systematic Review.Journal of advanced nursingAdolescents with substance use disorder described starting use through curiosity, family conflict, peers and easy access, then facing health, school, family and legal harms. They asked for motivated, nonjudgmental treatment with family support and coping skills.
• PTOTSLPRNQualitative2026Clinical Implications for Management of Falls in Hospital Patients with Communication Disability After Stroke: A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis.Journal of advanced nursingHospital falls after stroke often go unexplained when severe aphasia prevents patients describing what happened. Staff documented communication problems as cognition, used equipment, and missed adapted education. Multidisciplinary plans, family support and speech-language input suggest safer falls prevention.
• RNQualitative2026When the Home Becomes the Setting for Hospital Treatment: A Qualitative Study of Relatives' Experiences.Journal of advanced nursingCohabiting relatives preferred hospital treatment at home, but felt it was chosen for them, not with them. They wanted clear information about treatment, pumps and alarms, and a reachable nurse, while often sacrificing their own routines.
• RNSystematic Review2026Nurse Practitioner-Sensitive Outcome Measures in Older Person Care: A Scoping Review.Journal of advanced nursingNurse practitioner-sensitive outcomes for older adults are not measured consistently. The review found varied outcome measures across included studies, so it cannot show what nursing care changed.
• RNOther2026Individual and Institutional Factors Associated With Urinary Incontinence Among Nursing Home Residents: A Multilevel Analysis.Journal of advanced nursingIn nursing homes, urinary incontinence was associated with residents' cognitive impairment, neurological disease and older age. Facility staffing, ownership and environment were not associated.
• RNCohort2026Relationship Between Health Literacy, Health Protective Behaviour, Quality of Life and Social Health in Older Adults Living in the Community.Journal of clinical nursingOlder adults had an average social health score of 50.48 ± 8.98 on a scale from 5 to 125. Lower scores were linked to older age, higher health literacy, lower quality of life, living alone, living with children, higher education and poor health perception.
• RNSystematic Review2025Mixed Reality in Nursing Practice: A Mixed Methods Systematic Review.Journal of clinical nursingMixed reality tools in nursing showed mixed, limited evidence. Wound documentation and intubation did not consistently beat standard care, and comfort or workflow problems limited use. Do not change nursing practice based on this review.
• RNMeta-Analysis2025Effectiveness and Safety of Chinese Herbal Medicine in Treatment of Perimenopausal Insomnia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trails.Holistic nursing practiceIn perimenopausal insomnia, Chinese herbal medicine alone lowered overall sleep-problem scores more than Western medicine alone. When Chinese herbal medicine was added to Western medicine, overall sleep-problem scores did not improve more than Western medicine alone.
• RNOther2025Nursing Research on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals-A Bibliometric Analysis.Journal of advanced nursingA map of nursing literature shows almost no research on how nurses deliver care that is environmentally sustainable. Most studies discuss policy or education, not patient outcomes, leaving clinicians without evidence on how to reduce waste or emissions in daily practice.
• RNOther2025Development of A Surgery-Related Pressure Injury Risk Assessment Scale (SURPIRAS): A Methodological Study.Journal of clinical nursingA new 13-item surgery pressure-injury score flagged high risk at scores above 27. In 200 Turkish elective surgical patients, it identified 97.56% of those who later developed pressure injury and 97.48% of those who did not. It is not proof using it prevents pressure injury.
• RNRCT2025Impact of Routine Postoperative Care Versus Nurse-Led Lifestyle Interventions on Patient Outcomes After Radiofrequency Ablation: A Randomized Controlled Trial.The Journal of cardiovascular nursingAfter radiofrequency ablation for atrial fibrillation, patients receiving a nurse-led lifestyle intervention added to usual care reported better quality of life and less AF recurrence at 12 months, and had fewer postprocedure complications.
• RNCohort2025A Point Prevalence Study of Need and Provision of Palliative Care in Adult and Medical Surgical Inpatients.Journal of clinical nursingAcross 865 adult public hospital inpatients, 38% had palliative care indicators, and 70% of those had no evidence of receiving any palliative care.
• RNQualitative2025Parents' Experiences of Holding Their Child for Healthcare Procedures: A Qualitative Exploratory Study.Journal of advanced nursingParents described moving between comforter, helper and enforcer roles while protecting their child during hospital procedures. Agreeing one clear role beforehand may help them support the child.
• RNCohort2025WHO ICOPE Programme Adherence of 8672 Older Age People Over 2-Years of Follow-Up.Journal of advanced nursingOlder adults who stopped ICOPE follow-up were older and had more intrinsic-capacity alerts. Those with partial adherence were older and more often enrolled by self-assessment.
• RNRCT2026Efficacy of Virtual Reality vs. Tablet Games for Pain and Anxiety in Children Undergoing Bone Pins Removal: Randomised Clinical Trial.Journal of advanced nursingFor children undergoing bone pin or suture removal, VR and tablet games produced similar pain and anxiety outcomes after the procedure. VR was not superior, though parents and healthcare professionals preferred it.
• RNOther2026Family-centred care research in paediatrics: A scoping review.Journal of child health care : for professionals working with children in the hospital and communityPaediatric family-centred care research is broad but uneven: 579 studies were mostly cross-sectional surveys, hospital-based and North American, with inconsistent definitions and limited father, sibling and non-English family input.
• RNCohort2026Sex and Racial/Ethnic Differences in End-of-Life Care in Texan Medicare Colorectal Cancer Decedents.The American journal of hospice & palliative careIn the last 30 days of life, female colorectal cancer decedents used hospice more and ICU care less than males. Non-Hispanic Black decedents had more emergency, ICU, and inpatient care and less hospice. Billed advance care planning was rare.
• RNSurvey2026Advance Care Planning Engagement of Older Adults in the Emergency Department.The American journal of hospice & palliative careOlder emergency department patients rated advance care planning engagement 4.1 of 5, but only 37 (40%) had talked to doctors about end-of-life wishes. They preferred clinician conversations over websites or videos.
• RNCohort2026Decision Trees for Managing Impaired Physical Mobility in Multiple Trauma Patients.Journal of advanced nursingIn 201 multiple trauma patients, nursing decision trees found that cardiopulmonary monitoring marked higher death risk and good transfer performance marked better mobility. Mobility interventions were associated with lower mortality, but the study cannot prove they caused it.
• RNRCT2026A Neonatal Nurse-Controlled Model of Analgesia to Manage Post-Operative Pain in the Surgical Neonate: A Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial.Journal of advanced nursingNurse-controlled neonatal analgesia was feasible in parts but not fully: staff found pathways useful but hard to follow, pain scoring often missed, and recruitment fell short. The pilot did not establish whether this model reduces infant pain or improves recovery.
• OTRNQualitative2026Unmet Needs of Palliative Cancer Patients: A Grounded Theory Study.The American journal of hospice & palliative carePalliative cancer patients described needing recognition of their whole person: dignity, control, practical help, family closure, and hope. They feared suffering, loneliness, and becoming a burden.
• RNSystematic Review2026The Application of Classic Grounded Theory in Nursing Studies: A Qualitative Systematic Review.Journal of advanced nursingNursing studies using Classic Grounded Theory often fail to report the participants' 'main concern' or their evaluation criteria. This omission compromises the theory's integrity. Clinicians should critically appraise these studies for missing methodological details before applying their findings.
• RNOther2025Changes in Health Risks, Daily Activities, and Antipsychotic Use After Humanitude Care for People With Dementia: A Retrospective Study.Journal of clinical nursingIn 67 people with dementia, fall risk improved and antipsychotic use decreased after Humanitude care, but pressure ulcer risk and some daily tasks worsened. This before-and-after study cannot show the care caused the changes.
• OTRNSurvey2025Examining the Relationship Between Daily Activity Levels and Elder Abuse and Neglect: Bringing Light on Elder Abuse.Journal of advanced nursingDaily-activity dependence was not linked to elder abuse in 448 older adults in Turkey. Psychological abuse was most common, and family conflict or poor self-rated health were associated with higher abuse risk.
• RNSurvey2025Breast cancer patient experiences with and preferences for time alone with their cancer care team.Patient education and counselingMost breast cancer patients had some time alone with their care team, and both groups said 10–15 minutes alone was typical. Current patients reported fewer such visits than former patients, but about 1 in 4 current and 1 in 3 former raised private topics.
• RNCohort2025Nonlinear Relationship Between Vital Signs and Hospitalization/Emergency Department Visits Among Older Home Healthcare Patients and Critical Vital Sign Cutoff for Adverse Outcomes: Application of Generalized Additive Model.Clinical nursing researchAmong older home healthcare patients, hospitalization or ED visits were linked to a U-shaped risk pattern. Heart rate above 83.24 was linked to a sharp rise in modeled risk; critical points were 120.36 for systolic and 72.00 for diastolic pressure.
• RNCohort2025Nomogram for Deep Vein Thrombosis Prediction Post-Endovascular Thrombectomy in Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Retrospective Multicenter Observational Study.Journal of clinical nursingAfter stroke clot removal, three markers identified higher DVT risk: lower limb NIHSS score ≥2, D-dimer ≥1.62 mg/L, procedure time ≥66 min. The model predicted DVT moderately well but was not tested as care.
• RNSurvey2026Care Needs of Community-Dwelling Older Adults Living in Poverty and Their Relationship With Other Biopsychosocial Variables: A Cross-Sectional Study.Journal of advanced nursingHalf of older adults living in poverty had unmet needs for money and food budgets. Lower independence, higher loneliness, and poorer quality of life were linked to fewer met care needs. Assessing these social and functional factors is essential for this population.
• RNSurvey2026Parenting in Armed Political Conflict: Relationships Between Parental Efficacy, Reflective Functioning, and Age Among War-Displaced Families.Journal of advanced nursingWar exposure alone showed no direct link to displaced parents' sense of efficacy. Older parents and those with stronger parent-child relationships reported higher efficacy, and age changed how exposure related to efficacy.
• RNSystematic Review2026Palliative Care for People With Very Severe to Extreme Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD): A Scoping Review.Journal of advanced nursingAgitation in people with very severe BPSD in hospital was often treated with antipsychotics or restraint without checking pain, constipation, infection or delirium. Look for unmet needs, use behavioural and pain tools, and involve families and palliative care early.
• RNQualitative2026Patient Participation in Acute Surgical Wound Care: A Descriptive Qualitative Study.Journal of advanced nursingPatients recovering from surgery described wound care as harder than expected, especially when pain, drains, conflicting advice or dismissive staff overwhelmed them. Clear, consistent teaching and family support helped them regain confidence and manage wounds at home.
• RNMeta-Analysis2026Infrared Devices Versus Traditional Palpation Approach for Peripheral Intravenous Catheter Insertion in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of advanced nursingIn adults needing IV access, infrared vein devices did not improve first-attempt insertion success: 42% versus 38% with palpation. Pain was 0.43 points higher on a 0 to 10 scale. Evidence is low.
• RNSystematic Review2026Self-Care Activities of Community-Residing Adults With Indwelling Urinary Catheters: A Scoping Review.Journal of advanced nursingCommunity adults with long-term indwelling urinary catheters do most daily catheter care themselves, but little patient-facing guidance covers what to do when complications arise. Nurses should teach monitoring and when to call for help.
• RNSystematic Review2026The Role of School Nurses in Promoting Positive Sexual Health Education: A Scoping Review.The Journal of school nursing : the official publication of the National Association of School NursesSchool nurses were described as able to broaden sexual health teaching beyond disease prevention, but this scoping review found no standard curriculum and little direct evidence of their effectiveness.
• RNCohort2026Predictive Performance of Device-Neonatal Skin Risk Assessment Scale to Evaluating Pressure Injuries Risk in the Neonates. An Observational Multicenter Study.Journal of clinical nursingIn 137 NICU neonates, 9 developed pressure injuries, mostly from devices. A device-adjusted score ≤11 in the first 24 hours predicted injuries better than Glamorgan.
• PTOTSLPRNSystematic Review2026A Scoping Review of the Lived Experiences of Individuals With Huntington's Disease, Their Informal Caregivers and Offspring.Journal of advanced nursingFamilies affected by Huntington's disease describe unpredictable behaviour, secrecy about risk, and health services that miss their needs. Clinicians should ask about communication, mobility, swallowing, work, school, and support for caregivers and offspring.
• RNOther2026The Omission of Nursing Care in Emergency Departments: A Conceptual Analysis Using Walker & Avant's Methodology.Journal of advanced nursingEssential emergency nursing tasks such as monitoring, pain reassessment and discharge instructions can be left undone when staffing, workload and equipment gaps combine. No emergency-specific tool captures this well.
• RNCohort2025Assessing and Managing Pain in Dementias: Insights From Interdisciplinary Text Message Communications.Pain management nursing : official journal of the American Society of Pain Management NursesPain was mentioned less often in nursing home transfer texts about residents with dementia. Pain words and medication mentions were lower than in texts about residents without dementia.
• RNOther2025Digital Dementia Education and Training for Informal Carers: A Scoping Review.Journal of clinical nursingEighteen studies mapped digital dementia education for informal carers using online platforms, video calls, apps and SMS. They reported outcomes such as knowledge, self-efficacy, stress, burden and quality of life, but did not test whether these tools work.
• RNOther2025Assessment of Surgical Site Infection Prevention Strategies in Obstetric Nursing Practice: A Retrospective Analysis.Journal of nursing care qualityCesarean patients cared for by nurses trained in a comprehensive prevention package had fewer infections (3.0% vs 10.0%), less pain on days 1 and 2, fewer complications, and better wound healing than standard care.
• RNRCT2025Interactive AI Routines for Pain Symptoms and Loneliness in Older Adults.Pain management nursing : official journal of the American Society of Pain Management NursesOlder adults living alone with chronic musculoskeletal pain did not report less pain severity after 12 weeks of voice-assistant routines combining meditation, games, music, and jokes. Pain interference, loneliness, and depression decreased in some groups, but no untreated control.
• PTOTSLPRNOther2026Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice of Informal Caregivers of People Living With Stroke: A Scoping Review of Recent Literature.Journal of advanced nursingInformal caregivers of people with stroke often lacked stroke and care knowledge, felt unprepared, yet were willing to manage mobility, medications, swallowing-related meals, appointments and emotional support. Clinicians should teach and check understanding, especially before discharge.
• RNSystematic Review2026The Discourse of Medical Assistance in Dying and Its Relationship With Hospice Palliative Care in Canada: An Integrative Literature Review.Journal of advanced nursingLegalising medical assistance in dying blurred the line with hospice palliative care in Canada. Nurses reported moral distress and uncertainty, feeling pressured to define their participation. The literature lacked clear distinctions between the two practices, leaving providers to navigate complex ethical ground without adequate guidance.
• RNQualitative2026You Can't Hold Their Hand the Whole Time: A Qualitative Study of Parents' Experiences of Adolescents With Food Allergy.Journal of advanced nursingParents of adolescents with food allergy described constant worry, family restrictions, and difficulty trusting their child to manage allergies. Misconceptions and poor confidence in using adrenaline persisted despite years of experience.