Abstract
To identify in the literature how Middle-Range Theories (MRT) are being developed in Nursing. Integrative review on the databases Lilacs (Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences), Scopus, Cinahl (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), Web of Science and PubMed portal, using the keywords middle range theory and nursing, as well its Portuguese correspondents (Lilacs), and the Boolean operator AND. The sample included 25 articles. All articles presented concepts related to MRT. Most developed a synthesis picture. Some theories have formulated specific propositions, hypotheses, and names. Only 16 articles cited the methodological framework, while 22 used theories or models for theoretical foundation and 11 carried out literature reviews. The development of MRT included the presentation of fundamental concepts, synthesis, propositions, hypotheses and specific name. The MRT is recognized as a way of developing knowledge to guide the nursing practice.
Highlights
METHODTheories are sets of concepts that are less broad than conceptual models and that propose more specific results
Middle-range theories are understood by many nursing researchers as a theoretical framework that connects grand theories to the nursing practice(34)
They started to be developed in the mid-1980s ─ one of the first Middle-Range Theories (MRT) in nursing was the Theory of Obstetric Nursing Care, which identified seven original concepts to describe the process of obstetric nursing care(33)
Summary
Theories are sets of concepts that are less broad than conceptual models and that propose more specific results. MRTs have been proposed as a way to reduce the gap between nursing theory and practice and as an alternative to other movements, such as evidence-based practice and translational research This is an integrative review based on six steps: 1) identification of the theme and elaboration of the guiding question; 2) establishment of criteria for the inclusion and exclusion of studies/sampling or literature search; 3) definition of the information to be extracted from the selected studies/categorization of the studies; 4) evaluation of studies included in the integrative review; 5) interpretation of results, and 6) presentation of the knowledge review/synthesis(9). The search in the databases Lilacs (Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences), Scopus, Cinahl (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), Web of Science and PubMed was carried out by two members of the research team from May to June 2016, using the keyword middle-range theory, the descriptor nursing, and the Boolean operator AND The selection of this keyword occurred due to the inexistence of a controlled descriptor that represented the MRT.
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