Mixed‐methods research in nursing – a critical review

Abstract

This study highlights current gaps in knowledge, understanding and reporting of mixed-methods research. While these methods are useful to gain insight into clinical problems nurses lack guidance with this type of research. This study revealed that the guidance provided by current mixed-methods research is inconsistent and incomplete and this compounds the lack of available direction. There is an urgent need to develop robust guidelines for using mixed-methods research so that findings may be critically implemented in practice.

Appraising the quality of mixed methods research in nursing: A qualitative case study of nurse researchers’ views

“…These contributions of MMR research to the nursing discipline are not new; in fact, they corroborate previously published works that highlight such contributions; among others, Fawcett () emphasized the relevance of MMR in capturing a holistic view of the patients’ health condition, Flemming () described how MMR might provide evidence of both the effectiveness and the contextual relevance of an intervention, and Bressan et al. () highlighted the usefulness of the knowledge produced by MMR for practicing nurses. The convergence between our participants’ responses and the literature is certainly indicative of the consensus existing within the nursing academic community regarding the close connection between MMR and clinical practice.…”

“…Similar findings were reported in the review by Bressan et al. (), who found 226 nursing articles with the term “mixed methods” in the title for 1988–2016, most of which (92.5%) were published in the last 10 years of the period.…”

“…As underlined by Bressan et al. () and Eckhardt and Devon (), the need to develop robust, clear, and comprehensive frameworks for appraising the quality of MMR in nursing is pressing.…”

“…Despite its importance, the current state of the quality of MMR in nursing has, however, two problems. As argued by Bressan et al (2017), a first problem is that most of the published frameworks for appraising MMR quality come from the social and behavioral sciences. Not being nursing-specific, these quality frameworks are not necessarily relevant to nursing, and, therefore, provide little guidance to nurse researchers and practitioners appraising and/or conducting MMR studies.…”

The development of a family participatory dignity therapy programme for patients with haematologic neoplasms and their family caregivers in China: A feasibility study

“…A mixed-methods study was used to develop and improve the course and content of the FPDT programme (Bressan et al, 2017). The FPDT guidelines and questions were reformulated and evaluated with a simple one-group pre-and post-trial and semi-structured in-depth interviews.…”