Comparative Analysis Methodologies in Nursing Research: A Scoping Review

Being a global profession, having evolved differently across different geographical areas, and with increasing global migration, nursing is well positioned to undertake comparative research to facilitate understanding and identify areas for development. Despite this, little is known about comparative research use in nursing, and there is little guidance for researchers on how to approach it. With increasingly sophisticated approaches, there is a need to understand how comparative analysis is currently being used.

To review nursing research using comparative analysis as a methodology, specifically exploring approaches employed and topics examined.

A scoping review of published nursing research was conducted using Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Proquest Central, Medline, and Directory of Open Access Journals, with no defined time limits applied and where 'comparative analysis' appeared in the manuscript title. Findings are reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews.

The search yielded 324 records from which 101 were included in the final review after titles and abstracts and subsequent full-text screening. Analysis was conducted on included studies, involving chronological distribution, publication location, study design, geographical distribution, nature of comparisons, analytic approaches adopted, and methodologists identified. The earliest study was published in 1958, and a steady increase was noted over recent years. While a majority were conducted in the United States, these approaches were used across a large number of countries. Comparisons were made across an extensive array of topic areas, and the emergence of contemporary approaches such as fuzzy logic and qualitative comparative analysis was noted.

The increase in studies using comparative analysis indicates its applicability for addressing nursing research questions. With growth in sophisticated comparative analysis approaches, there is a need for nursing research courses to include relevant educational preparation for novice researchers.