Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 10, 2026

Using Learning Outcome Measures to assess Doctoral Nursing Education
Published on: June 21, 2010
Characteristics of quantitative nursing research from 1990 to 2010
Adela Yarcheski1, Noreen E Mahon
1Upsilon Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau Professor College of Nursing Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey Newark, New Jersey, 07102.
Purpose:
To assess author credentials of quantitative research in nursing, the composition of the research teams, and the disciplinary focus of the theories tested.
Design:
Nursing Research, Western Journal of Nursing Research, and Journal of Advanced Nursing were selected for this descriptive study; 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, and 2010 were included. The final sample consisted of 484 quantitative research articles.
Findings:
From 1990 to 2010, there was an increase in first authors holding doctoral degrees, research from other countries, and funding. Solo authorship decreased; multi-authorship and multidisciplinary teams increased. Theories tested were mostly from psychology; the testing of nursing theory was modest. Multidisciplinary research far outdistanced interdisciplinary research.
Conclusions:
Quantitative nursing research can be characterized as multidisciplinary (distinct theories from different disciplines) rather than discipline-specific to nursing. Interdisciplinary (theories synthesized from different disciplines) research has been conducted minimally.
Clinical Relevance:
This study provides information about the growth of the scientific knowledge base of nursing, which has implications for practice.
Related Concept Videos
Current Trends in Nursing I
Current Trends in Nursing II
The Scientific Method in Nursing Process
When using research findings to change practice, one must understand the process used to guide a study. The scientific method is a systematic, step-by-step process that supports the data's validity, reliability, and generalizability. As a result, findings can be safely...
Nursing Assessment
The nurse collects all aspects of the patient's health in the initial assessment, establishing priorities for ongoing focused assessments and...
Nursing Interventions II: Selecting and Classifying the Nursing Interventions
Longitudinal Research
