Characteristics of nursing studies in diabetes research published over three decades in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland: a narrative review of the literature

Abstract

Similarities and differences across borders of Nordic countries constitute a suitable context for investigating and discussing factors related to the development of diabetes nursing research over the last three decades. The present study reviewed the entire body of contemporary diabetes nursing research literature originating in four Nordic countries: Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Iceland. Our aims were (i) to catalogue and characterise trends in research designs and research areas of these studies published over time and (ii) to describe how research involving nurses in Nordic countries has contributed to diabetes research overall. The larger goal of our analyses was to produce a comprehensive picture of this research in order to guide future studies in the field. We conducted a narrative literature review by systematically searching Medline, Medline in process, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO and Cochrane databases. These searches were limited to studies published between 1979 and 2009 that had an abstract available in English or a Nordic language. Two researchers independently selected studies for analysis, leading to the inclusion of 164 relevant publications for analysis. In summary, Nordic nurse researchers have contributed to the development of new knowledge in self-management of diabetes in childhood, adolescence and adulthood, and to some extent also in the treatment and care of diabetes foot ulcers. Future research may benefit from (i) larger nurse-led research programmes organised in networks in order to share knowledge and expertise across national groups and borders, (ii) more multidisciplinary collaborations in order to promote patient-centred care and (iii) further research directed towards improving the dissemination and implementation of research findings. Using complex intervention designs and a mix of research methods will enrich the research.

Clinical nursing and midwifery research in Latin American and Caribbean countries: A scoping review

“…This finding is similar to reviews conducted in other countries and regions, where most nursing research was either qualitative or consisted of cross-sectional and descriptive designs (Iversen et al, 2016; Khalaf, 2013; Sun & Larson, 2015). In addition, the focus on chronic diseases is reflective of a focus on the growing issue of “lifestyle” diseases.…”

“…To understand the state of the science of nurse-led or midwife-led clinical research, systematic and scoping reviews have been conducted in numerous countries and regions. For example, researchers have assessed the status and scope of nursing research in the United Kingdom (Rafferty, 2000), Australia (Borbasi, Hawes, Wilkes, Stewart, & May, 2002), Turkey (Ozsoy, 2007), Germany and the European Context (Hackmann, 2000), Jordan (Khalaf, 2013), nursing research related to diabetes in Nordic countries (Iversen et al, 2016), and in all of the African countries (Sun & Larson, 2015). These studies highlighted various levels of progress, development, and influence of nursing and midwifery research on health in their respective locations.…”

Are home visits an effective method for diabetes management? A quantitative systematic review and meta‐analysis

“…This comprehensive and humanized approach to care seeks to improve the patient's knowledge regarding the pathology, which connects them with their treatment and allows them to assume autonomous responsibility for their health 21 . Furthermore, numerous recent meta-analyses have shown that nurse-led interventions can enhance diabetes outcomes [22][23][24][25][26] . Nevertheless, there is no clear international evidence regarding the effectiveness of home visit programs for diabetes management, despite their promising results for other conditions.…”

Nursing research priorities based on CINAHL database: A scoping review

“…Stroke (Lightbody, ; Rowat et al, ), heart failure (Stamp et al, ), Parkinson's disease (Shin & Habermann, ), osteoarthritis (Robbins & Kulesa, ), diabetes (Graue et al, ; Iversen et al, ) and stoma (Hubbard et al, ) are considered to be the above‐mentioned areas of diseases. With respect to nursing research on diabetes, Iversen et al () believe that future research may benefit from larger nurse‐led research programmes organized into networks to share knowledge and expertise across national groups. Autism and developmental disabilities are regarded as specific fields where additional nursing research should be conducted (Tomlinson et al, ).…”

“…The third domain encompasses diseases where nursing research is scarce, and as a result, more research is urgently called for. Stroke (Lightbody, 2017;Rowat et al, 2016), heart failure (Stamp et al, 2018), Parkinson's disease (Shin & Habermann, 2016), osteoarthritis (Robbins & Kulesa, 2012), diabetes (Graue et al, 2013;Iversen et al, 2016) and stoma (Hubbard et al, 2017) are considered to be the above-mentioned areas of diseases. With respect to nursing research on diabetes, Iversen et al (2016) believe that future research may benefit from larger nurse-led research programmes organized into networks to share knowledge and expertise across national groups.…”