PANDEMIC ERA PHENOMENOLOGICAL RESEARCH ABOUT NURSING EDUCATION

Abstract

Recent COVID contexts have changed the patterns of phenomena occurring within healthcare settings. While there has been increased attention to the need for qualitative research across all areas of healthcare, a pandemic-era systematic research review of phenomenological studies specific to nurse educators can help this field to decide where/how to focus subsequent research. While qualitative research has been increasing in numbers and in professionals who value it, there remains minimal in-practice models on how to decide which qualitative methodologies were used most during pandemic increases. The purpose of this systematic review was to examine the following questions: (1) How frequently did COVID-era phenomenological research center on nurse educators? (2) When did phenomenological nurse educator studies increase during the pandemic era? (3) What was the most frequent type of phenomenological research done with nurse educators during the height of the pandemic era?

We utilized PRISMA review methods fused with an Iterative Thematic Inquiry qualitatively-modified addition to analyze phenomenological nurse education studies published in the literature during the COVID pandemic. The researchers analyzed topics within cited peer-reviewed phenomenological nurse educator studies where data collection began after awareness and responsiveness to COVID. Our research resulted in a systematic and themed cataloguing of the most frequent topics researched in 2022 that followed a qualitative phenomenological approach centered on nurse educators. This assisted understanding about how phenomenology was utilized and aligned with shifting times, policies, and practices. Unlike other types of research, phenomenological strengths included starting with a globally validated identified phenomenon, which the COVID-19 pandemic naturally provided. Phenomenological studies helped to understand participants’ actions and motivations while often challenging long-held status quo beliefs, which made this systematic review of phenomenological research ideal for times of flux and rapid change.