Research Topics & Ideas: Nursing
NB – This is just the start…
The topic ideation and evaluation process has multiple steps. In this post, we’ll kickstart the process by sharing some research topic ideas within the nursing domain. This is the starting point, but to develop a well-defined research topic, you’ll need to identify a clear and convincing research gap, along with a well-justified plan of action to fill that gap.
If you’re new to the oftentimes perplexing world of research, or if this is your first time undertaking a formal academic research project, be sure to check out our free dissertation mini-course. In it, we cover the process of writing a dissertation or thesis from start to end. Be sure to also sign up for our free webinar that explores how to find a high-quality research topic.
Overview: Nursing Research Topics
General Nursing Research Topics & Ideas
- The impact of cultural competence on patient care in the UK
- The importance of evidence-based practice in nursing for patients with HIV/AIDS
- The effects of workplace stress on nurse well-being and performance
- The role of nurse-patient communication for patients transitioning from adolescent to adult care
- The impact of technology on nursing practice and patient outcomes
- The importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in healthcare for the rehabilitation of patients post-surgery
- The effects of fatigue on nurse performance in the emergency room
- The impact of nurse staffing levels on patient outcomes in rural areas
- The effectiveness of nurse-led interventions in managing chronic conditions: a case study of diabetes
- The impact of patient-centred care on health outcomes for the elderly
- The importance of patient safety in nursing: bedside nurse vigilance
- The effects of empathy and compassion in critical care nursing
- The role of nursing in disaster preparedness and response: a case study of the Haiti earthquake of 2021
- The impact of the level of nursing education on patient outcomes
- The importance of ethical considerations in frail care nursing practice
Topics & Ideas: Medical-Surgical Nursing
- The impact of bedside care on patient outcomes in medical-surgical units
- The role of the nurse in managing post-operative patient pain
- The effects of nurse-patient ratios on patient outcomes in medical-surgical units
- A systematic review of different approaches to patient education in medical-surgical units
- The relationship between nurse-patient communication and patient satisfaction in medical-surgical units: perspectives and recommendations to improving patient satisfaction
Topics & Ideas: Pediatrics Nursing
- The impact of family-centered care on pediatric patient outcomes with sickle cell anemia
- The role of nursing interventions in promoting developmental and behavioral health in pediatric patients
- The effects of play therapy on anxiety and pain in pediatric patients during hospitilisation
- A systematic review of different approaches to pain management in pediatric cancer patients
- The relationship between parent involvement and post-operative patient outcomes in pediatric units
Ideas: Obstetrics and Gynecological Nursing
- The impact of nurse-led prenatal care on maternal and fetal outcomes in African American communities
- The role of the nurse in promoting sexual and reproductive health for women in the UK
- The effects of midwifery care on maternal satisfaction of primiparous women and birth outcomes
- A comparative study of different approaches to childbirth education for expectant mothers and partners: perceptions of control
- The relationship between lactation support and breastfeeding success of primiparous women
Topics & Ideas: ICU Nursing
- The impact of nursing interventions on patient outcomes in intensive care units in a developing country
- The role of the nurse in managing palliative and end-of-life care in the ICU
- The effects of family presence on patient outcomes and satisfaction in the ICU: A systematic review of the literature
- A comparative study of different approaches to pain management for trauma patients in the ICU
- The relationship between nurse-patient communication and geriatric patient outcomes in ICU
Topics & Ideas: Mental Health Nursing
- The impact of nurse-led therapy on adolescent patient outcomes in mental health settings
- The role of the nurse in promoting recovery and resiliency in mental health patients through group interventions
- The effects of mindfulness-based interventions on stress and anxiety in mental health patients: A systematic literature review
- A comparative study of the role of nurses in applying different approaches to patient education in mental health settings
- The association between nurse-patient therapeutic alliance and patient outcomes in mental health settings
Nursing Dissertation & Theses
While the ideas we’ve presented above are a decent starting point for finding a nursing-related research topic, they are fairly generic and non-specific. So, it helps to look at actual dissertations and theses to see how this all comes together.
Below, we’ve included a selection of research projects from various nursing-related degree programs to help refine your thinking. These are actual dissertations and theses, written as part of Master’s and PhD-level programs, so they can provide some useful insight as to what a research topic looks like in practice.
- Nursing Workload and Interventions of Licensed Nurses in Nursing Homes: An Observational Time and Motion Study (Kang, 2021)
- Missed Nursing Care: Accounting for Education, Experience, and Job Satisfaction in Registered Nurses (Bechard, 2021)
- Examining Predictors of Attitudes and Knowledge of Registered Nurses and Nursing Students in Tennessee toward Pregnant and Perinatal Women with a Substance Use Disorder (Patrylo, 2021)
- A Program Evaluation of the Organizational Readiness for Pathway to Excellence at Two Community Hospitals (Behling, 2021)
- The Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic Policy Decisions on the Wellbeing of Nursing Home Residents in Missouri (White, 2022)
- Battling A Parallel Pandemic: An Evaluation of Sustainable System-Level Nursing Support in Response To COVID-19 (Gifford, 2022)
- Holistic Nursing Process Maps: a Tool for Student Nurses to Operationalize the Nursing Process to Increase Clinical Reasoning (Reyes, 2022)
- Satisfaction and Work-Life Balance in Undergraduate Nursing Faculty: A Mixed-Methods Study (Crawford, 2021)
- The Effect of Mindfulness Meditation on the Stress, Anxiety, Mindfulness, and Self-Compassion Levels of Nursing Students (Heinrich, 2022)
- Effectiveness of Simulation-Based Case Studies in Undergraduate Nursing Students (Becnel, 2022)
- A Telehealth Simulation Experiment: Exploring Prebriefing (Owen, 2022)
- Perceptions of Lateral Violence Among Vocational Nursing Students, Associate Degree Nursing Students, and Bachelor’s Degree Nursing Students (Martha, 2022)
- Nurse Educators’ Description of Ethics from a Disciplinary Perspective: A Qualitative Descriptive Research Study (Cuchetti, 2022)
- A Literature Review of the Relationship Between Oral Health and Pneumonia Risk in the Geriatric Nursing Home Population (Swift, 2021)
Looking at these titles, you can probably pick up that the research topics here are quite specific and narrowly-focused, compared to the generic ones presented earlier. This is an important thing to keep in mind as you develop your own research topic. That is to say, to create a top-notch research topic, you must be precise and target a specific context with specific variables of interest. In other words, you need to identify a clear, well-justified research gap.
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