Public health nursing research priorities: a collaborative Delphi study

The Delphi Method in Rehabilitation Counseling Research

Rehabilitation researchers have found in the application of the Delphi method a more sophisticated way of obtaining consensus from experts in the field on certain matters. The application of this research methodology has affected and certainly advanced the body of knowledge of the rehabilitation counseling practice. However, the rehabilitation literature has not yet described conceptually the Delphi methodology. The purpose of this article is to present a description of the Delphi method and to discuss some advantages and disadvantages of using this research technique. In addition, the authors present the results of four studies, identified in the rehabilitation literature, that used the Delphi method.

Exploring mental health service needs for the elderly: results of a modified Delphi study

Identified key informants with professional experience in the broad domain of mental health services reported current and future mental health service needs of elderly Harris County residents as part of a three-round modified Delphi study. Forty-one professionals from various housing, psychosocial, medical, and protective service provider groups were surveyed during three consecutive rounds. The consensus achieved through the Delphi process served to describe the gaps in the mental health services currently available to elderly Harris County residents as well as identify the service needs of this population into the future, thereby providing direction for future service development.

Occupational therapy research priorities in mental health

This study used a Delphi survey method to identify research priorities of occupational therapists working in mental health. Twenty-two subjects were initially surveyed for their suggestions regarding research topics they thought were important. These 22 subjects represent a random sample of 12.4% of national OT-Australia membership of occupational therapists working in mental health. After three "rounds" of the Delphi methodology, consensus research priorities were obtained in six areas: research of value to clients (5 topics); research of value to occupational therapists working in mental health (4 topics); research related to providing community care for clients (2 topics); research that facilitates health promotion and disease prevention (6 topics); research that is of value to the profession of occupational therapy (6 topics); and research that is of value to occupational therapy education (4 topics). Implications for occupational therapy practice and re search are discussed.

Identification of priorities for nursing research in Spain: a Delphi study

AIM

The aim of this work was to identify priorities for nursing research in Spain. The Co-ordination and Development of Nursing Research Centre (Investén-isciii group) carried out the study using the Delphi technique during the period April 1998 to January 1999.

METHODS

Study subjects were professionals involved in different nursing activities. From 1250 eligible professionals initially contacted, 452 (38%) responded in round 1 and 258 (57%) in round 2. But only 189 filled out correctly the questionnaires from both rounds of data collection (overall response rate was 21.6%).

RESULTS

The participants identified priorities related to continuity and co-ordination of nursing care, quality of nursing care, impact of invasive techniques and treatments on the quality of life of patients, needs of the primary care givers, quality of life among elders, satisfaction of customers and needs of terminal patients and their families.

Research directions for specialist practice

Emergency nursing is a specialist area of practice that demands particular knowledge and skills. This paper reports on a study to identify the research directions necessary to advance emergency nursing as a specialist area of practice. Nurses working in nine Australian hospital emergency departments responded to questions about current research practices, and the research priorities necessary to inform the development of knowledge and practice in the evolving specialty of emergency nursing. Forty-four core topics considered relevant to the knowledge base of emergency nursing were identified by nurses who were directly involved in providing patient care. The highest ranked topics were clustered into four priority areas for further research. The key areas for further research are education needs and opportunities, specialist roles of triage, trauma and practitioner, and nurses' coping mechanisms. Discussion of these topics is framed by the increasing specialisation of nursing practice, thus this paper aims to encourage consideration and debate about the research based development of the specialty of emergency nursing.

Outcomes for community health nursing practice

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to develop an easy, practical list of outcomes amenable to community health nursing interventions. This study sought to answer the following question: What outcomes are sensitive to nursing interventions in the community health setting?

SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA

Nursing literature discusses many client outcomes. However, available outcome lists are not always sensitive to nursing interventions by community health nurses. Nurses need a precise list to measure client outcomes resulting from contact between nurses and clients in a variety of community health settings.

METHODS AND SUBJECTS

The study used a modified Delphi technique to ensure adequate response from the subjects. Initially, focus groups generated items for the Delphi questionnaires. Using items from the focus groups, the researchers developed three rounds of questionnaires. In each round, nurses stated a level of agreement with each item as an outcome for community health nurses. Twenty-two community health nurses in one Southeastern state participated in four focus groups. One hundred fifty-two community health nurses returned round 1 questionnaires, 68 nurses returned round 2 questionnaires, and 48 nurses returned round 3 questionnaires.

RESULTS

The researchers grouped the outcomes into four domains: client's psychosocial components of care, client's physiologic components of care, nursing intervention/implementation components of care, and environmental/community safety components of care.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings produced an easy, practical list of 48 nursing outcomes for use in decision making and research by community health nurses in all settings.

Coming to voice: the power of emancipatory community interventions

Despite public and community health nursing's long history of social activism and the advocation of community collaborative and partnership ventures to enhance health status, most community interventions continue to focus on the individual. Larger social structures and institutions that create and support unhealthy behaviors and environments have not been seen as sites for nursing interventions. This article examines the challenges associated with community-level interventions. Community organization and participatory research are offered as models of emancipatory community-level interventions particularly germane to disenfranchised communities.