PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2023, Nursing: Nursing - Doctoral Program

Background: Expert literature reviews and evidence synthesis, such as systematic, scoping, or integrative reviews, represent some of the highest levels of evidence in the health sciences. There is a paucity of research concerning the methodology of integrative reviews, which are prevalent in the nursing literature. Because integrative reviews may incorporate the retrieval, appraisal, and synthesis of a variety of evidence types (empirical [quantitative, qualitative, and/or mixed methods], non-empirical, theoretical, and/or methodological), the integrative review is a somewhat unique type of evidence synthesis. While there is a growing body of literature concerning the methodological rigor of integrative reviews in nursing, advancements in methodological tools are lacking. Purpose: The overarching aim of this dissertation research is to develop and test an appraisal tool to assess the methodological and reporting elements of nursing integrative reviews. The Integrative Review Methodology Appraisal Tool (IRMAT) appraises whether recommended methodological elements are present in published integrative reviews in the nursing literature. Methods: A scoping review was conducted to identify methodological elements of nursing integrative reviews. The 210 methodological elements identified from the scoping review were coded and thematically analyzed to align to the Ellis Model of Information-Seeking Behavior, which resulted in 34 items being generated. Generated items were analyzed by a panel of five nursing integrative review experts for face and content validity. The subsequent version of the tool was used by 204 survey participants and two independent raters so that construct validity, internal consistency reliability, and inter-rater reliability could be analyzed statistically. Results: The expert ratings were used to calculate content validity at the item level using the Content Validity Index (CVI). Twenty-eight items demonstrating sufficient conte (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Elaine Miller Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Carolyn Smith Ph.D. (Committee Member); Youn Seon Lim Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Nursing