The Utility of Participatory Action Research in the Nursing Field: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Participatory action research (PAR) is a method of inquiry that promotes a collaborative approach to knowledge creation. This article examined areas of research interest that included PAR methods, highlighting the areas of improvement that such approaches might offer to researchers and scientists in the nursing field. Among the 20 included studies, participatory concepts are more likely used to direct research design than to select participants. About two-thirds of the studies reviewed used PAR principles in designing projects. Although only a few research collaborative efforts involved partners in selecting participants, 70% involved participants in data gathering. Participatory approaches to data processing and interpretation were found in over 60% of articles assessed across all content categories. Approximately half of the studies included suggestions for participatory implementation approaches; a quarter discussed participatory ways to disseminate results. The findings demonstrate how researchers are incorporating PAR principles into a variety of areas of nursing research. Promises to fully include participants and promises of reciprocal benefit are essential in order to pursue meaningful PAR.

A systematic review on the use of action research methods in mental health nursing care

“…However, in the case of mental health nursing, only half of the studies included users. This is also the case in other contexts, where there are still a small number of studies in which equal groups are formed between researchers and other stakeholders, not only in the design of the study but also in the selection of participants and data collection and analysis (Effendy et al, 2022;Wiles et al, 2022). From a methodological perspective, it is important to emphasize that although there are different approaches to action research (Rowell et al, 2017), the results of the review indicate that in the field of mental health nursing the commonly used method is Participatory Action Research.…”

“…However, in the case of mental health nursing, only half of the studies included users. This is also the case in other contexts, where there are still a small number of studies in which equal groups are formed between researchers and other stakeholders, not only in the design of the study but also in the selection of participants and data collection and analysis (Effendy et al, 2022 ; Wiles et al, 2022 ).…”

“…Action research is a research method that facilitates understanding and improving the world by transforming it (Kemmis & Mctaggart, 2008 ). Traditionally, this type of approach has been used in the social sciences (Rowell et al, 2017 ), although in recent years it is also been successfully used internationally in the area of health sciences (Cordeiro & Soares, 2018 ) and, specifically, in the field of nursing (Effendy et al, 2022 ). In fact, action research has been shown to be useful for implementing evidence‐based practice (Munten et al, 2010 ) in the area of nursing education or for improving nursing practices in intensive care (Soh et al, 2011 ).…”

Community-Based Participatory Research Guided by Critical Caring Theory

“…In PubMed, there are over 10,000 references to CBPR, with a dramatic increase in the number of publications beginning in 2010. In a recent scoping review of participatory action research studies, Effendy et al (2022) identified 553 nursing studies. In addition, several nursing texts (De Chesnay, 2015; Pavlish & Pharris, 2012) focus on describing the foundations and detailing the processes of CBPR.…”

The therapeutic relationship at the heart of nursing care: A participatory action research in acute mental health units

“…It is useful for exploring the phenomenon under study because it makes it easier for participants to identify both the aspects to be improved and the most effective procedure to carry out such improvement (Casey et al, 2022). This research methodology has been introduced in recent years in the area of health sciences with successful results (Cordeiro & Soares, 2018) and, more specifically, in the nursing field (Effendy et al, 2022) as a pathway to implementing evidence‐based practice (Munten et al, 2010). In this sense, the PAR process in the nursing discipline enables a better understanding of the study phenomenon to design improvement strategies, implement changes and transform clinical practice (Bradbury et al, 2019) through a cyclical and continuous interaction of different stages such as action, reflection and evaluation (Rowell et al, 2017).…”