Critical Appraisal of Published Qualitative Research Papers in the Field of Nursing Management by Iranian authors: A cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Summary The growing number of doctoral graduates in nursing management, together with more focus on qualitative studies, has contributed to the development of qualitative studies. This study aimed to provide a critical appraisal of qualitative research papers in the field of nursing management by Iranian authors, published in national and international journals. In a cross-sectional study, international and Persian electronic databases were used for a systematic search of the relevant literature using the keywords: qualitative studies, nursing management, and Iran. Criteria provided by the Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) for the qualitative studies checklist was used for quality appraisal of the included studies. Of the 22 qualitative studies appraised, 48% had used grounded theory and 22% had adopted the research method of content analysis. The mean score for ethical consideration was 1.66 out of 4. The mean scores for rigor and research credibility were 5.123 out of 9 and 1.66 out of 4, respectively. In terms of research purpose and methodology, mean scores were 3.33 out of 4 and 2.22 out of 3, respectively. Quality of research design obtained the mean score of 2.66 out of 6 and the score for method of data collection was 4.44 out of 7. Results showed that quality of the published qualitative studies in the field of nursing management by Iranian authors seemed not appropriate and the most significant weakness was related to the partial compliance with ethical principles.