Nursing Research Ideas

[Kate624]

Hi Nurses, I'm taking a Nursing Research course and I was just wondering if anyone has any suggestions for interesting areas in Nursing that I should look into. It can be anything (from post-pardum depression to the nursing shortage to patient care) as long as there has been research conducted in journals BY nurses. Thanks for your help. I know this probably belongs in the student section but I wanted to get feedback from the actual Nurses with experience. Thanks!

[llg, PhD, RN]

I suggest browsing some of the nursing research journals to see what articles you find there. What topics catch your interest? What topics seem to be "hot" in the current literature? You don't want to pick a topic that sounds good ... only to find that you can't find sufficient literature on it. Start with the literature by doing a little browsing so that you can be guaranteed of finding the literature base you will need for your assignment.

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

also, be warned. There are different levels of studies - some are more "scientific" than others. You want to reference several of the higher level for the sake of reliability. Also, jot down a few concepts that could be evaluated regarding your topic. For instance: if you did something on nursing shortage you might want to evaluate the concepts of "retention", "job satisfaction", etc.

[just1, MSN]

Heparin usage is a biggie with Joint Commission. How about looking into whether IV lines can be maintained with NS flushes instead of with heparinized flushes? While I know that many facilities have done away with heparin and flush their lines (PICCs, TLCs, etc.) with 10 cc. NS q 8-12 hours, it is a bit tougher to locate the research that supports this. If you find anything, let me know! Our hospital is looking to make the switch.