Frequency and distribution of research methods used in mixed-methods RAs_
| Methods | Years | Total (%) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | ||
| Sequential explanatory | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 27 (55.10) |
| Sequential exploratory | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 (12.25) |
| Sequential transformative | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Concurrent triangulation | 1 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 11 (22.45) |
| Concurrent embedded | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 (10.20) |
| Concurrent transformative | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 8 | 15 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 49 (100) |
Frequency and distribution of research methods used in quantitative RAs_
| Methods | Years | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | Total (%) | |
| Systematic review study | 42 | 78 | 61 | 72 | 70 | 323 (51.19) |
| Survey study | 23 | 24 | 18 | 38 | 26 | 129 (20.44) |
| Randomized controlled trial design | 15 | 23 | 20 | 23 | 18 | 99 (15.69) |
| Cohort studies | 11 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 5 | 37 (5.86) |
| Validation study | 0 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 12 (1.90) |
| A secondary analysis of data | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 10 (1.58) |
| Quasi-experimental study | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 (0.63) |
| Retrospective cross-sectional study | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 (0.63) |
| Prospective correlational study | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 (0.48) |
| Cost-effectiveness study | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 (0.48) |
| Scale development study | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 (0.32) |
| Nonrandomized controlled trial | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (0.16) |
| Ex post facto cross-sectional design | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 (0.16) |
| Dyadic analysis of cross-sectional data | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 (0.16) |
| Time-sectional study | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 (0.16) |
| Test evaluation study | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 (0.16) |
| Total | 97 | 134 | 113 | 155 | 132 | 631 (100) |
Number of research methods used in nursing articles (N = 697)_
| Designs | Method 1 | Method 2 | Method 3 | Method 4 | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F | % | F | % | F | % | F | % | F | % | |
| Quantitative | 534 | 97.09 | 13 | 2.37 | 3 | 0.54 | 0 | 0 | 550 | 100 |
| Qualitative | 38 | 38.77 | 44 | 44.90 | 16 | 16.33 | 0 | 0 | 98 | 100 |
| Mixed-methods | 0 | 0 | 33 | 67.35 | 15 | 30.61 | 1 | 2.04 | 49 | 100 |
Frequency and distribution of research methods used in qualitative RAs_
| Methods | Years | Total (%) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | ||
| Interview | 3 | 13 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 32 (19.51) |
| Observation | 1 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 17 (10.36) |
| Grounded theory | 4 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 16 (9.75) |
| Ethnography | 1 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 15 (9.14) |
| Longitudinal study | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 11 (6.71) |
| Survey | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 11 (6.71) |
| Case study | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 (4.88) |
| Conceptual review | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 8 (4.88) |
| Focus group | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 (4.27) |
| Prospective observational | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 (4.27) |
| Phenomenographic approach | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 (3.05) |
| Clinical scenarios | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 (1.83) |
| Theory proposition | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 (1.83) |
| Evaluation study | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 (1.83) |
| Concept mapping approach | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 (1.22) |
| Document review | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 (1.22) |
| Realist review | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 (1.22) |
| Prospective observational | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 (1.22) |
| Judgment analysis | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (0.61) |
| Methodological review | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 (0.61) |
| Narration | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (0.61) |
| Signal detection task | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (0.61) |
| Data mining | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (0.61) |
| Unstructured interviews | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (0.61) |
| Think aloud | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (0.61) |
| Diary | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (0.61) |
| Content analysis | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (0.61) |
| Pragmatic approach | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (0.61) |
| Total | 26 | 48 | 35 | 24 | 31 | 164 (100) |