Abstract
Background: Action research (AR) starts with an existing practical situation with which there is a concern or potential for improvement. It seeks transformative change through the simultaneous process of doing research and undertaking actions, both of which are linked together by a critical reflective process. It simultaneously allows one to systematically investigate a given social situation while promoting democratic change and collaborative participation. AR approaches have been used for many years in business management and education. More recently, AR has become an increasingly popular method of inquiry in healthcare, particularly in nursing, to investigate professional practice while simultaneously; introducing innovations; planning and undertaking action; and evaluating new ideas. The overall goal is to augment collaboration whilst improving the patient experience and outcomes. Methods: The Arksey and O'Malley methodology framework will be used to guide this scoping review process: stage 1 will identify the research questions; the eligibility criteria and search strategy will be defined in stage 2; studies will then be selected in stage 3; data will be extracted and charted from these included studies in stage 4; stage 5 involves aggregating and summarising these results along with criteria relevant for health professionals and policy-makers. An optional consultation (stage 6) exercise may potentially be included. Conclusion: This scoping review will comprehensively map the evidence on the use of AR methodology by healthcare professionals and in healthcare team settings. It is predicted that the findings will inform researchers in carrying out future AR and highlight gaps in the literature. An article reporting the results of the completed scoping review will be submitted for publication to a scientific journal and presented at relevant national and international conferences.
Highlights
Action research (AR) is a philosophy and methodology of research that starts with an existing practical situation with which there is a concern or potential for development or improvement (Coghlan, 2019)
It is described as a process that seeks transformative change through the simultaneous process of taking actions and doing research, which are linked together by a critical reflective process (Coghlan, 2019)
Stage 5: Collating, summarising, and reporting the results The collected data will be analysed using the data extraction framework. This will result in information on a body of research where AR methodologies have been used in healthcare teams and in healthcare settings
Summary
Action research (AR) is a philosophy and methodology of research that starts with an existing practical situation with which there is a concern or potential for development or improvement (Coghlan, 2019). The ‘PCC’ mnemonic, where the population, concept and context are described (Peters et al, 2020a) is the recommended format for cultivating the question for scoping review and this was used here This method aids in the development of the inclusion and exclusion criteria and helps to inform the literature search strategy. Articles that discuss or use action research methodology in any healthcare team and any healthcare setting and aimed at improving teamwork, collaboration, staff experience, patient outcomes or patient experience. Stage 4: Data extraction/ “charting” A data extraction framework or charting table will be developed within Microsoft Excel software (Version 2105) as suggested by Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) (Peters, 2017) This will include 15 categories used to assess the full review articles retrieved from the literature fulfilling the eligibility criteria for inclusion (Table 1)
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