Literature Review

instruction

Assessment Brief & Assignment Guidelines

 Assessment Brief:

You are to write a 3000 word (+/- 10% excluding reference list) literature review. Select a topic of interest which is relevant to your pathway based on one of the domains from the NHS Outcomes Framework 2017-18 informed by the NICE Quality Standard or GP Contract Quality and Outcomes Framework 2016. Formulate a research question relating to your area of practice, undertake a systematic literature search of relevant sources, examine and critically evaluate the relevant evidence-based information in order to identify the clinical practice gap and make an action plan to address them to bridge the gap, which may form part of your background to your project in the Evaluating and Advancing Nursing Practice module assignment. 

 

Assignment Guidelines:

  1. Introduction (200 words). An introduction generally needs to answer these 3 questions.
  2. What? The introduction must begin by clearly explaining what the essay is about. Identify in your own words what is required in the assessment brief given above.
  3. How? The second part of the introduction needs to outline how the essay is structured. You need to summarise the details given in points 2 to 5 below.
  4. Why? An introduction needs to articulate why the topic under consideration is of significance. This should be evidence-based and supported with relevant literature.
  5. Background (500 words)
  6. Briefly summarise what is already known about the topic and how this relates to your chosen domain from the NHS Outcomes Framework 2017/18 (Learning Outcome 4).
  7. Briefly highlight the key original research studies and guidelines related to your topic that have been published in reputable journals/sources in your field of practice (Learning Outcome 2).
  8. Explain and justify why the findings of the background studies indicate a need for your review of literature. In other words, explain what already exists and the gaps in what is known that will be answered during your review of existing literature. (Learning Outcomes 1& 4).
  9. Formulation of a research question (200 words).
  10. Clearly explain the process you followed to formulate your question using the PICO framework (Learning Outcome 3).
  11. Explain the issue you are examining, its significance to your field of practice and its relation to your chosen domain from the NHS Outcomes Framework (2017/18) (Learning Outcome 4).
  12. Clearly explain why the question you have formulated needs to be answered and the reasons why it is important to your field of practice. d. Clearly explain the improvements that will result from the findings of the review of the literature. (Learning Outcome 1)

 

 

  1. Methodology (700 words)
  2. Discuss the Literature search strategy that you have used.
  • Search terms: Give details of the ‘terms’ you used to search for the literature.
  • Inclusion and exclusion criteria: Briefly outline the type of studies that were included in your search and those that were excluded. Give a rationale for these criteria.
  • Sources: Identify the sources you searched. Briefly discuss the range of materials that were observed during the search (Learning Outcome 3).
  1. Discuss the process you followed to identify the research papers/relevant literature you have selected.

Demonstrate that you have appraised the research paper (You could use a tool such as CASP, Moule and Heck (2011) guidelines etc.) (Learning Outcome 3).   

  1. Discuss how you extracted data from your articles. Clearly discuss the tool you used for example, Timmins and McCabe (2005). Ensure that the data you extract includes: research aims or hypothesis, research design, sampling, participants, data collection methods, reliability and validity considerations, how data were analysed, findings and their interpretations, ethical considerations and limitations of the studies. (Learning Outcome 3).

A data extraction table needs to be included.  d. Discuss your approach to synthesis, for example, narrative synthesis. Give a rationale for your approach to synthesis. (Learning Outcome 3).

 

  1. Discussion (1200 words).
  2. Describe the literature obtained and confidently distinguish between the different types of evidence. (Learning Outcome 2).
  3. Summarise the key findings/key themes that emerged from the studies under review, highlighting how this relates to your chosen domain from the NHS Outcomes Framework 2017/18. The emerging themes need to be logically presented. (Learning Outcome 3).
  4. For each of the themes you have identified, discuss and critically analyse and evaluate the relevant evidence-base. (Learning Outcome.3).
  5. Critically discuss and analyse the knowledge and clinical practice gaps and discuss the actions needed to address these in order to bridge the gap. Apply your research findings for patient benefit in line with the current Clinical Guidelines and National Service Framework. (Learning Outcomes 1 & 4).

 

  1. Conclusion (200 words)
  2. Summary. Summarise the key learning points that have emerged from the review.
  3. Recommendations. Make recommendations on what needs to be done in light of your findings and conclusions.
  4. References. Appropriate referencing is an important element of academic writing. Ensure that you have used the most up-to-date referencing guide available from the library. Please be aware that the referencing guide is regularly updated.

 

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this module, you will:

 

  1. Critically examine how evidence-based practice underpins your safe practice in healthcare.
  2. Distinguish confidently between the different types of evidence used in nursing practice.
  3. Critically evaluate the different research paradigms and approaches within evidence based practice, including quantitative and qualitative research methodologies.
  4. Critically apply relevant research findings for patient benefit

 

 

What reporting verbs should I use

Examples

Lewis (2013) explains the link between ……….

Miller (2011) have conceded that their finding should not………

The findings have been criticized as lacking validity because……..(see Lee Jones 2015).

 Harvard referencing

 Writing the review of literature

  • Introduction

Introduce the topic of the literature review and briefly discuss the importance of the central theme and organisational pattern.

  • Main body

Discuss the sources and organise either chronologically, thematically, or methodologically

  • Conclusion

 Sum up the main findings of your research of the literature. The findings should be related to the aims of the study. The reader is thus provided with a coherent background to the current study.

 

         $10 per 275 words - Purchase Now