Assignment Task
Assessment brief
The written assessment for this module takes the form of an Extended Literature Review (ELR). The review is ‘extended’ to include a critical account of the methods adopted in carrying out the review of the literature.
The following sections should be included in the review. The recommended words in brackets are to give an estimated idea of weighting – they do not have to be strictly adhered to and will also depend on where you discuss the strength of the evidence found. The methodology section and the discussion of themes are particularly important parts of this literature review.
Abstract
A summary of the key issues and findings in the project should be presented here. Use the following subheadings: aim, background, methods, findings, and conclusion.
Introduction
This section should provide an overview of the key issues and their sequence as they are addressed in your review. It tells the reader what is to come. Include any terms of reference and/or definitions.
Background
You should provide a rationale for the chosen focus of the review, highlighting the professional, clinical and conceptual relevance that your review question has, in relation to nursing. This section should clearly articulate the aspect of practice that will be at the centre of the project and how the literature review will contribute to its evaluation. Your rationale should make reference to current policies
Methodology
This section needs to clearly demonstrate the audit trail to your literature search and should include:
- Evidence of how your question/topic area was structured using either PICO or PEO.
- How keywords were developed and selected.
- Which databases were selected and a justification for each.
- A selection of 6 – 10 primary research articles from the last 10 years.
- How the relevance of the material was determined, inclusion and exclusion criteria, including justification.
- How the papers were analysed using Caldwell’s framework.
- An overview of how many papers were found and how many are left in the literature review after the inclusion and exclusion criteria have been applied. Use tables/figures as illustrations and place these in the main body of your work.
- A summary of the articles selected. Include a table and place as an appendix.
Findings
You should clearly present the findings, as themes, from your thematic analysis. State how the analysis was undertaken. Indicate what constituted a theme. Findings from the papers selected should be presented only.
You need to provide an in-depth critique of the literature – what did you find? You should compare and contrast studies and comment on the body of the literature on the topic. Some form of structuring, within this section, is a good idea. You could split this Findings section into sub-sections (themes) with headings around the aspects of care or treatment within the topic being reviewed. This section should not just list one article after another. You need to draw out from your reading, the articles’ overarching messages. Make sure that you structure this section in such a way that you clearly address your research question/title. You will need to consider what methods were used to study the area and how rigorously they were applied. For example, look for bias (was the person doing the research known to the participants?); or conflict of interest (was the research carried out on behalf of a drugs company?). To do this you will need to use the information obtained from applying the critical appraisal tool to your chosen articles.
Discussion/Implications for practice
You should provide a critical discussion of the findings from your review. What do the findings mean? Evaluate the significance of the similarities and differences found in your comparison and contrast of the articles and make an in-depth interpretation on the themes’ issues. You can draw on the wider body of literature about your topic area. This is the place to include all the interesting articles that you found, which make important points but that did not directly answer your chosen research question.
Include implications and recommendations for practice, education, and management. Could the finding of this literature review be applied to your patients or your practice? If it cannot be applied, why is this? Can you be specific about how your findings can influence the quality of care? For example, an education package for nurses, an assessment tool for practice or a set of policy guidelines. You will also need to comment on whether further research should be undertaken, and if so, how should it be designed? You may want to split this section into sub-sections. and/or research related to evidence-based practice and the role of extended literature reviews in that process.
