Table 2.
Summary of study characteristics
| Variable | Total – N (%) |
|---|---|
| Total – N | 124 |
| Setting of study – Continent | |
| Africa | 0 (0.0) |
| Asia | 11 (8.9) |
| Australasia (Australia and NZ) | 7 (5.6) |
| Europe | 45 (36.3) |
| North America | 59 (47.6) |
| South America | 2 (1.6) |
| Journal type | |
| Nursing | 79 (63.7) |
| Anesthesiology | 2 (1.6) |
| Critical care medicine | 32 (25.8) |
| Qualitative health research | 1 (0.8) |
| Social work | 1 (0.8) |
| Psychology | 0 (0.0) |
| Other | 9 (7.5) |
| Study design | |
| Quantitative | 61 (49.2) |
| Randomized controlled trial | 1 (0.8) |
| Non‐randomized control trial | 1 (0.8) |
| Pre–post | 4 (3.2) |
| Observational | 10 (8.1) |
| Cross‐sectional | 45 (36.3) |
| Other | 0 (0.0) |
| Mixed methods | 2 (1.6) |
| Qualitative | 61 (49.2) |
| Action Research | 2 (1.6) |
| Case study | 0 (0.0) |
| Ethnography | 9 (7.3) |
| Grounded theory | 12 (9.7) |
| Phenomenology | 17 (13.7) |
| Qualitative (other/not specified) | 21 (16.9) |
| Analysis | |
| Statistical | 63 (50.8) |
| Content analysis | 17 (13.7) |
| Thematic analysis | 17 (13.7) |
| Discourse analysis | 1 (0.8) |
| Grounded theory/constant comparative method | 14 (11.3) |
| Phenomenological/hermeneutical analysis | 8 (6.5) |
| Other/not specified | 4 (3.2) |