Table 3.

Data Extraction and Analysis Results

Authors Country	Research Objectives	Design justification	Theoretical/ philosophical frameworks	Sampling/ sample size	Data collection and data sources	Data analysis	Findings
Adams et al. (2014) • USA	• Explore • Responses to communication strategies	• (-) Reference • (-) Rationale	Not reported (NR)	• Purposive sampling/ maximum variation • 32 family members	• Interviews • Observations • Review of daily flow sheet • Demographics	• Inductive and deductive qualitative content analysis • (-) Data saturation	Five themes about family members’ perceptions of nursing communication approaches
Ahlin, Ericson-Lidman, Norberg, and Strandberg (2014) • Sweden	• Describe • Experiences of using guidelines in daily practice	• (-) Reference • (+) Rationale • Part of a research program	NR	• Unspecified • 8 care providers	• Semistructured, individual interviews • Interview guide	• Qualitative content analysis • (-) Data saturation	One theme and seven subthemes about care providers’ experiences of using guidelines in daily practice
Al-Zadjali, Keller, Larkey, and Evans (2014) • USA	• Examine • Culturally specific views of processes and causes of midlife weight gain	• (-) Reference • (-) Rationale	Health belief model and Kleiman’s explanatory model	• Unspecified • 19 adults	• Semistructured, individual interview	• Conventional content analysis • (-) Data saturation	Three main categories (from the model) and eight subthemes about causes of weight gain in midlife
Asemani et al. (2014) • Iran	• Explore • Factors initiating responsibility among medical trainees	• (-) Reference • (+) Rationale	NR	• Convenience, snowball, and maximum variation sampling • 15 trainees and other professionals	• Semistructured, individual interview • Interview guide	• Conventional content analysis • Constant comparison • (+) Data saturation	Two themes and individual and non- individual-based factors per theme
Atefi, Abdullah, Wong, and Mazlom (2014) • Iran	• Explore • Factors related to job satisfaction and dissatisfaction	• (-) Reference • (-) Rationale	NR	• Convenience sampling • 85 nurses	• Semistructured focus group interviews • Interview guide	• Thematic analysis • (+) Data saturation	Three main themes and associated factors regarding job satisfaction and dissatisfaction
Ballangrud, Hall-Lord, Persenius, and Hedelin (2014) • Norway	• Describe • Perceptions on simulation-based team training	• (-) Reference • (-) Rationale	NR	• Strategic sampling • 18 registered nurses	• Semistructured individual interviews	• Inductive content analysis • (-) Data saturation	One main category, three categories, and six sub- categories regarding nurses’ perceptions on simulation-based team training
Benavides-Vaello et al. (2014) • USA	• Determine • Barriers and supports for attending college and nursing school	• (-) Reference • (-) Rationale	NR	• Unspecified • 45 students	• Focus-group interviews • Using Photovoice and SHOWeD	• Constant comparison • (-) Data saturation	Five themes about facilitators and barriers
Bernhard, Zielinski, Ackerson, and English (2014) • USA	• Explore • Reasons for choosing home birth and birth experiences	• (-) Reference • (-) Rationale	NR	• Purposeful sampling • 20 women	• Semistructured focus-group interviews • Interview guide • Field notes	• Qualitative content analysis • (+) Data saturation	Five common themes and concepts about reasons for choosing home birth based on their birth experiences
Bradford and Maude (2014) • New Zealand	• Explore • Normal fetal activity related to hunger and satiation	• (+) Reference • (+) Rationale • Sandelowski (2000) • Denzin & Lincoln (2011)	NR	• Purposive sampling • 19 pregnant women	• Semistructured individual interviews • Open-ended questions	• Inductive qualitative content analysis • Descriptive statistical analysis • (+) Data saturation	Four patterns regarding fetal activities in relation to meal anticipation, maternal hunger, maternal meal consummation, and maternal satiety
Canzan, Heilemann, Saiani, Mortari, and Ambrosi (2014) • Italy	• Explore, describe, and compare • perceptions of nursing caring	• (+) Reference • (-) Rationale • Sandelowski (2000)	NR	• Purposive sampling • 20 nurses and 20 patients	• Semistructured individual interviews • Interview guide • Field notes during interviews	• Unspecified various analytic strategies including constant comparison • (-) Data saturation	Nursing caring from both patients’ and nurses’ perspectives – a summary of data in visible caring and invisible caring
Chan and Lopez (2014) • Hong Kong	• Address • How to reduce coronary heart disease risks	• (+) Reference • (+) Rationale • Secondary analysis • Sandelowski (2000) • Neergaard et al (2009)	NR	• Convenience and snowball sampling • 105 patients	• Focus-group interviews • Interview guide	• Content analysis • (+) Data saturation	Four categories about patients’ abilities to reduce coronary heart disease
Chen, Tsai, Lee, and Lee (2014) • Taiwan	• Explore • Reasons for young–old people not killing themselves	• (-) Reference • (-) Rationale	NR	• Convenience sampling • 31 older adults	• Semistructured individual interviews • Interview guide • Observation with memos/reflective journal	• Content analysis • (+) Data saturation	Six themes regarding reasons for not committing to suicide
Cleveland and Bonugli (2014) • USA	• Explore • Neonatal intensive care unit experiences	• (+) Reference • (+) Rationale • Sandelowski (2000)	NR	• Purposive sampling and convenience sample • 15 mothers	• Semistructured individual interviews • Interview guide	• Qualitative content analysis • (+) Data saturation	Four themes about participants’ experiences of neonatal intensive care unit
DeBruyn, Ochoa-Marin, and Semenic (2014) • Colombia	• Investigate • Barriers/facilitators to implementing evidence-based nursing	• (+) Reference • (-) Rationale • Sandelowski (2000)	Ottawa model for research use: knowledge translation framework	• Convenience sampling • 13 nursing professionals	• Semistructured individual interviews • Interview guide	• Inductive qualitative content analysis • Constant comparison • (-) Data saturation	Four main barriers and potential facilitators to evidence-based nursing
Ewens, Chapman, Tulloch, and Hendricks (2014) • Australia	• Explore • Perceptions and utilization of diaries	• (+) Reference • (-) Rationale • Sandelowski (2000)	NR	• Unspecified • 19 patients and families	• Responses to open-ended questions on survey	• Unspecified analysis strategy • (-) Data saturation	Five themes regarding perceptions on use of diaries and descriptive statistics using frequencies of utilization
Fantasia, Sutherland, Fontenot, and Ierardi (2014) • USA	• Explore • Knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about sexual consent	• (-) Reference • (-) Rationale • Part of a larger mixed-method study	Theory of planned behavior	• Purposive sampling • snowball sampling • 26 women	• Semistructured focus-group interviews • Interview guide	• Content analysis • (+) Data saturation	Three main categories and subthemes regarding sexual consent
Friman, Wahlberg, Mattiasson, and Ebbeskog (2014) • Sweden	• Describe • Experiences of knowledge development in wound management	• (+) Reference • (+) Rationale: weak • Krippendorf (2004)	NR	• Purposive sampling • 16 district nurses	• Individual interviews • Interview guide	• Qualitative content analysis • (-) Data saturation	Three categories and eleven sub-categories about knowledge development experiences in wound management
Gaughan, Logan, Sethna, and Mott (2014) • USA	• Describe • Parental-pain journey, beliefs about pain, and attitudes/behaviors related to children’s responses	• (+) Reference • (+) Rationale • Sandelowski (2000) • Milne & Oberle (2005) • Part of a larger mixed methods study	NR	• Purposive sampling • 9 parents	• Individual interviews • One open- ended question	• Qualitative content analysis • (+) Data saturation	Two main themes, categories, and subcategories about parents’ experiences of observing children’s pain
Hart and Mareno (2014) • USA	• Describe • Challenges and barriers in providing culturally competent care	• (+) Reference • (+) Rationale • Sandelowski (2000) • Secondary analysis	NR	• Stratified sampling • 253 nurses	• Written responses to 2 open-ended questions on survey	• Thematic analysis • (-) Data saturation	Three themes regarding challenges/barriers
Hasman, Kjaergaard, and Esbensen (2014) • Denmark	• Describe • Experiences of childbirth	• (-) Reference • (-) Rationale • A substudy	NR	• Purposive sampling with maximum variation • Partners of 10 women	• Semistructured, individual interviews • Interview guide	• Thematic analysis • (+) Data saturation	Three themes and four subthemes about partners’ experiences of women’s childbirth
Higgins, van der Riet, Sneesby, and Good (2014) • Australia	• Explore • Perceptions about medical nutrition and hydration at the end of life	• (+) Reference • (+) Rationale • Borbasi et al (2008)	NR	• Purposeful sampling • 10 nurses	• Focus-group interviews	• “analyzed thematically” • (-) Data saturation	One main theme and four subthemes regarding nurses’ perceptions on EOL- related medical nutrition and hydration
Holland, Christensen, Shone, Kearney, and Kitzman (2014) • USA	• Describe • Reasons for leaving a home visiting program early	• (-) Reference • (-) Rationale	NR	• Convenience sample • 32 mothers, nurses, and nurse supervisors	• Semistructured, individual interviews • Focus-group interviews • Interview guide	• Inductive content analysis • Constant comparison approach • (+) Data saturation	Three sets of reasons for leaving a home visiting program
Johansson, Hildingsson, and Fenwick (2014) • Sweden	• Explore and describe • Beliefs and attitudes around the decision for a caesarean section	• (+) Reference • (+) Rationale • Pollit & Beck (2012) • Burns & Grove (2005)	NR	• Unspecified • 21 males	• Individual telephone interviews	• Thematic analysis • Constant comparison approach • (-) Data saturation	Two themes and subthemes in relation to the research objective
Kao and Tsai (2014) • Taiwan	• Explore • Illness experiences of early onset of knee osteoarthritis	• (+) Reference • (+) Rationale • Pope & Mays (1995) • Polit & Beck (2004) • Part of a large research series	NR	• Purposive sampling • 17 adults	• Semistructured, Individual interviews • Interview guide • Memo/field notes (observations)	• Inductive content analysis • (+) Data saturation	Three major themes and nine subthemes regarding experiences of early onset-knee osteoarthritis
Kerr, McKay, Klim, Kelly, and McCann (2014) • Australia	• Explore • Perceptions about bedside handover (new model) by nurses	• (+) Reference • (+) Rationale • Sandelowsk (2000) • Neergaard et al. (2009)	NR	• Purposive sampling • 30 patients	• Semistructured, individual interviews • Interview guide	• Thematic content analysis • (-) Data analysis	Two dominant themes and related subthemes regarding patients’ thoughts about nurses’ bedside handover
Kneck, Fagerberg, Eriksson, and Lundman (2014) • Sweden	• Identify • Patterns in learning when living with diabetes	• (-) Reference • (-) Rationale	NR	• Purposive sampling with variations in age and sex • 13 participants	• Semistructured, individual interviews (3 times over 3 years)	• Saldana’s (2003) analysis process • Inductive qualitative content analysis • (-) Data saturation	Five main patterns of learning when living with diabetes for three years following diagnosis
Larocque et al. (2014) • Canada	• Evaluate • Book chat intervention based on a novel Still Alice	• (-) Reference • (-) Rationale • Part of a larger research project	NR	• Unspecified • 11 long-term- care staff	• Questionnaire with two open- ended questions	• Thematic content analysis • (-) Data saturation	Five themes (positive comments) about the book chat with brief description
Li, Lee, Chen, Jeng, and Chen (2014) • Taiwan	• Explore • Facilitators and barriers to implementing smoking- cessation counseling services	• (-) Reference • (-) Rationale	NR	• Unspecified • 16 nurse- counselors	• Semistructured individual interviews • Interview guide	• Inductive content analysis • Constant comparison • (-) Data saturation	Two themes and eight subthemes about facilitators and barriers described using 2-4 quotations per subtheme
Lux, Hutcheson, and Peden (2014) • USA	• Identify • Educational strategies to manage disruptive behavior	• (-) Reference • (-) Rationale • Part of a larger study	NR	• Unspecified • 9 nurses	• Semistructured, individual interviews • Interview guide	• Content analysis procedures • (-) Data saturation	Two main themes regarding education strategies for nurse educators
Lyndon et al. (2014) • USA	• Explore • Experiences of difficulty resolving patient- related concerns	• (-) Reference • (-) Rationale • Secondary analysis	NR	• Unspecified • 1932 physician, nursing, and midwifery professionals	• E-mail survey with multiple- choice and free- text responses	• Inductive thematic analysis • Descriptive statistics • (-) Data saturation	One overarching theme and four subthemes about professionals’ experiences of difficulty resolving patient-related concerns
L. Ma (2014) • Singapore	• Explicate • Experience of quality of life for older adults	• (+) Reference • (+) Rationale • Parse (2001)	Parse’s human becoming paradigm	• Unspecified • 10 elderly residents	• Individual interviews • Interview questions presented (Parse)	• Unspecified analysis techniques • (-) Data saturation	Three themes presented using both participants’ language and the researcher’s language
F. Ma, Li, Liang, Bai, and Song (2014) • China	• Explore • Perspectives on learning about caring	• (-) Reference • (-) Rationale	NR	• Purposeful sampling • 20 nursing students	• Focus-group interviews • Interview guide	• Conventional content analysis • (-) Data saturation	Four categories and associated subcategories about facilitators and challenges to learning about caring
Marcinowicz, Abramowicz, Zarzycka, Abramowicz, and Konstantynowicz (2014) • Poland	• Describe and assess • Components of the patient–nurse relationship and pediatric-ward amenities	• (+) Reference • (-) Rationale • Sandelowski (2000)	NR	• Purposeful, maximum variation sampling • 26 parents or caregivers and 22 children	• Individual interviews	• Qualitative content analysis • (-) Data saturation	Five main topics described from the perspectives of children and parents
Martorella, Boitor, Michaud, and Gelinas (2014) • Canada	• Evaluate • Acceptability and feasibility of hand-massage therapy	• (-) Reference • (-) Rationale • Secondary to a RCT	Focused on feasibility and acceptability	• Unspecified • 40 patients	• Semistructured, individual interviews • Field notes • Video recording	• Thematic analysis for acceptability • Quantitative ratings of video items for feasibility • (-) Data analysis	Summary of data focusing on predetermined indicators of acceptability and descriptive statistics to present feasibility
McDonough, Callans, and Carroll (2014) • USA	• Understand • Challenges occurring during transitions of care	• (+) Reference • (+) Rationale • Sandelowski (2000) • Part of a larger study	NR	• Convenience sample • 22 nurses	• Focus groups • Interview guide	• Qualitative content analysis methods • (+) Data analysis	Three themes about challenges regarding transitions of care:
McGilton, Boscart, Brown, and Bowers (2014) • Canada	• Understand • Factors that influence nurses’ retention in their current job	• (-) Reference • (-) Rationale	NR	• Purposeful sampling • 41 nurses	• Focus-group interviews • Interview guide	• Directed content analysis • (+) Data saturation	Nurses’ reasons to stay and leave their current job
Michael, O'Callaghan, Baird, Hiscock, and Clayton (2014) • Australia	• Extend • Understanding of caregivers’ views on advance care planning	• (+) Reference • (+) Rationale • Sandelowski (2000) • Grounded theory overtone	NR	• Theoretical sampling • 18 caregivers	• Semistructured focus group and individual interviews • Interview guide • Vignette technique	• Inductive, cyclic, and constant comparative analysis • (-) Data analysis	Three themes regarding caregivers’ perceptions on advance care planning
Miller (2014) • USA	• Describe • Outcomes older adults with epilepsy hope to achieve in management	• (-) Reference • (-) Rationale	NR	• Unspecified • 20 patients	• Individual interview	• Conventional content analysis • (-) Data saturation	Six main themes and associated subthemes regarding what older adults hoped to achieve in management of their epilepsy
Oosterveld-Vlug et al. (2014) • The Netherlands	• Gain • Experience of personal dignity and factors influencing it	• (+) Reference • (-) Rationale • Sandelowski (2000)	Model of dignity in illness	• Maximum variation sampling • 30 nursing home residents	• Individual interviews • Interview guide	• Thematic analysis • Constant comparison • (+) Data saturation	The threatening effect of illness and three domains being threatened by illness in relation to participants’ experiences of personal dignity
Oruche, Draucker, Alkhattab, Knopf, and Mazurcyk (2014) • USA	• Identify and describe • Needs in mental health services and “ideal” program	• (+) Reference • (+) Rationale • Sandelowski (2000) • There is a primary study	NR	• Unspecified • 52 family members	• Semistructured, individual and focus-group interviews	• “Standard content analytic procedures” with case-ordered meta-matrix • (-) Data saturation	Two main topics – (a) intervention modalities that would fit family members’ needs in mental health services and (b) topics that programs should address
O'Shea (2014) • USA	• “What are the perceptions of staff nurses regarding palliative care…?”	• (-) Reference • (-) Rationale	NR	• Purposive, convenience sampling • 18 nurses	• Semistructured and focus-group interviews • Interview guide	• Ritchie and Spencer’s framework for data analysis • (-) Data saturation	Five thematic categories and associated subcategories about nurses’ perceptions of palliative care
Peacock, Hammond-Collins, and Forbes (2014) • Canada	• Describe • Experience of caring for a relative with dementia	• (+) Reference • (+) Rationale • Sandelowski (2000; 2010) • Secondary analysis • Phenomenological overtone	NR	• Purposive sampling • 11 bereaved family members	• Individual interviews • 27 transcripts from the primary study	• Unspecified • (-) Data saturation	Five major themes regarding the journey with dementia from the time prior to diagnosis and into bereavement
Peterson et al. (2014) • Canada	• Describe Experience of fetal fibronectin testing	• (+) Reference • (+) Rationale • Sandelowski (2010) • Vaismoradi, Turunen, & Bondas (2013)	NR	• Unspecified • 17 women	• Semistructured individual interviews • Interview guide	• Conventional content analysis • (+) Data saturation	One overarching theme, three themes, and six subthemes about women’s experiences of fetal fibronectin testing
Raphael, Waterworth, and Gott (2014) • New Zealand	• Explore • Role of nurses in providing palliative and end-of-life care	• (+) Reference • (+) Rationale • Pope & Mays (2006) • Part of a larger study	NR	• Purposeful sampling • 21 nurses	• Semistructured individual interviews	• Thematic analysis • (-) Data saturation	Three themes about practice nurses’ experiences in providing palliative and end-of-life care
Santos, Sandelowski, and Gualda (2014) • Brazil	• Understand • Experience with postnatal depression	• (+) Reference • (-) Rationale • Sandelowski (2000)	NR	• Purposeful, criterion sampling • 15 women with postnatal depression	• Minimally structured, individual interviews	• Thematic analysis • (+) Data saturation	Two themes – women’s “bad thoughts” and their four types of responses to fear of harm (with frequencies)
Sharp et al. (2014) • Australia	• Understand • Experience of peripherally inserted central catheter insertion	• (+) Reference • (+) Rationale • Sandelowski (2000)	NR	• Purposeful sampling • 10 patients	• Semistructured, individual interviews • Interview guide	• Thematic analysis • (+) Data saturation	Four themes regarding patients’ experiences of peripherally inserted central catheter insertion
Soule (2014) • USA	• Discover • Context, values, and background meaning of cultural competency	• (+) Reference • (+) Rationale • Sandelowski (2000)	Focused on cultural competence	• Purposive, maximum variation, and network • 20 experts	• Semistructured, individual interviews	• Within-case and across-case analysis • (-) Data saturation	Three themes regarding cultural competency
Stegenga and Macpherson (2014) • USA	• Explore and describe • Cancer experience	• (+) Reference • (+) Rationale • Neegaard et al (2009)	NR	• Unspecified • 15 patients	• Longitudinal individual interviews (4 time points) • 40 interviews	• Inductive content analysis • (-) Data saturation	Processes and themes about adolescent identify work and cancer identify work across the illness trajectory
Sturesson and Ziegert (2014) • Sweden	• Explore • Experiences of giving support to patients during the transition	• (-) Reference • (-) Rationale	Focused on support and transition	• Unspecified (but likely purposeful sampling) • 8 nurses	• Semistructured Individual interviews • Interview guide	• Content analysis • (-) Data saturation	One theme, three main categories, and eight associated categories
Tseng, Chen, and Wang (2014) • Taiwan	• Describe • Process of women’s recovery from stillbirth	• (+) Reference • (+) Rationale • Sandelowski (2000)	NR	• Purposeful sampling • 21 women	• Individual interview techniques	• Inductive analytic approaches (Thorne, 2004) • (+) Data saturation	Three stages (themes) regarding the recovery process of Taiwanese women with stillbirth
Vaismoradi, Jordan, Turunen, and Bondas (2014) • Iran	• Describe • Perspectives of causes of medication errors	• (+) Reference • (+) Rationale • Sandelowski (2010)	NR	• Purposeful sampling • 24 nursing students	• Focus-group interviews • Observations with notes	• Content analysis • (-) Data saturation	Two main themes about nursing students’ perceptions on causes of medication errors
Valizadeh et al. (2014) • Iran	• Explore • Image of nursing	• (-) Reference • (-) Rationale	NR	• Purposeful sampling • 18 male nurses	• Semistructured individual, interviews • Field notes	• Content analysis • (-) Data saturation	Two main views (themes) on nursing presented with subthemes per view
Villar, Celdran, Faba, and Serrat (2014) • Spain	• Ascertain • Barriers to sexual expression	• (-) Reference • (-) Rationale	NR	• Maximum variation • 100 staff and residents	• Semistructured, individual interview	• Content analysis • (-) Data saturation	40% of participants without identification of barriers and 60% with seven most cited barriers to sexual expression in the long-term care setting
Wiens, Babenko-Mould, and Iwasiw (2014) • Canada	• Explore • Perceptions of empowerment in academic nursing environments	• (+) Reference • (+) Rationale • Sandelowski (2000, 2010)	Theories of structural power in organizations and psychological empowerment	• Unspecified • 8 clinical instructors	• Semistructured, individual • interview guide	• Unspecified (but used pre-determined concepts) • (+) Data saturation	Structural empowerment and psychological empowerment described using predetermined concepts
Zhang, Shan, and Jiang (2014) • China	• Investigate • Meaning of life and health experience with chronic illness	• (+) Reference • (+) Rationale • Sandelowski (2000, 2010)	Positive health philosophy	• Purposive, convenience sampling • 11 patients	• Individual interviews • Observations of daily behavior with field notes	• Thematic analysis • (-) Data saturation	Four themes regarding the meaning of life and health when living with chronic illnesses

Note. NR = not reported