Searching for information is often nonlinear and iterative. Nurses evaluate a range of information sources and use mental flexibility to pursue alternate avenues as new understanding develops.
Nurses often begin the act of searching for information with a question that directs the process. Encompassing inquiry, discovery, and serendipity, searching identifies both possible relevant sources as well as the means to access those sources. Nurses realize that searching for information is a contextualized, complex experience that affects, and is affected by, the cognitive, affective, and social dimensions of the searcher as well as the nature of the question. As nurses and healthcare professionals are required to apply the best evidence to patient care and healthcare, developing a skill set for successful searching is increasingly important. Nurses must also consider the consequences of not searching for the best evidence. Commitment to finding valid, reliable evidence is the foundation for developing the skills that foster a sound search strategy, which in turn, enables the discovery of the best available evidence.
Entry-level nurses may search a limited set of resources and use limited or basic search strategies, relying on sources that are generally accepted as authoritative. Entry-level nurses are developing the skills of determining the initial scope of their information need, using appropriate search tools and search language, refining search strategies based on search results and changing needs, and seeking guidance from experts such as librarians and researchers when needed.
Advanced-level nurses may search more broadly and deeply to determine the most appropriate information within the project scope. They are more familiar with various kinds of resources and employ multifaceted strategies, depending on the sources, scope, and context of the information need. Advanced-level nurses understand the importance of searching iteratively in their quest for relevant health information sources, which includes being able to select from appropriate databases and resources; to design and refine needs and search strategies based on search results using key terms, subject headings, and limiters; and to successfully navigate databases and other information resources. These steps are necessary to identify what information is missing or to challenge biases and barriers that impact population health outcomes.
Evidence of the Frame in Action
- A nursing student working on a quality improvement project looks for standards and review articles to show current best practices.
- Nursing students working on a case study assignment about a patient with heart failure searches background resources to describe what is happening and checks the latest research to provide a home care plan.
- A nurse searches online education journals, social media, nursing association webpages, and other sources for information to create implicit bias training in their clinical area.
- A nurse brainstorms key terms and vocabulary around cultural competency to promote cultural humility in their hospital care setting.
- Nurse researchers use census data and social media to gather public perspectives and demographics to identify possible factors affecting vaccination rates locally.
- A nurse in a clinic searches for quality consumer health materials for a safe sleep program.
- A nurse creates alerts for clinical guidelines relevant to their specialty area to ensure they use the latest national patient safety resources, initiatives, and regulations at the point of care.
- A nurse manager scans nursing journals and nursing association websites for discussions around Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion to change current inequities in healthcare.
Competencies
Nurses who are developing their information literacy abilities:
- Recognize that a well-defined question is the basis for a successful search [Remembering];
- Choose divergent (e.g., brainstorming) and convergent (e.g., selecting the best source) thinking when searching to include sources from background to foreground research [Remembering];
- Convert research questions into key terms and synonyms [Understanding];
- Compare and contrast specialized search strategies using basic and advanced search tools to locate and navigate sources relevant to nursing and healthcare [Understanding];
- Interpret information sources based on content and format and explain varying relevance and value, depending on the needs and nature of the search [Applying];
- Analyze various types of sources and across multiple databases to avoid bias in search results [Analyzing];
- Recognize the value of browsing and other serendipitous methods of information gathering [Analyzing];
- Persist in the face of search challenges, and assess initial sources to locate additional sources by tracing citations in scholarly literature, following links in standards or grey literature [Evaluating]; and
- Discuss the different search tools and search techniques by being cognizant of the limitations of a Google Scholar search vs. a search on CINAHL Complete or PubMed [Creating].
