The current shift toward granting funds for collaborative research proposals means that graduate nursing students must be prepared to participate in the collaborative research process. The authors describe how master’s and doctoral students worked together with faculty to establish group norms, investigate, design, and disseminate a research proposal on Therapeutic Touch. Project goals, description of group members, and the benefits and limitations of collaborative research also are included. Evaluating the collaboration as a challenging yet enjoyable learning experience, students and faculty shared a successful scholarly endeavor that ultimately led to funding and implementation of a research proposal on Therapeutic Touch.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Beattie, J.
, Cheek, J., & Gibson, T. (1996). The politics of collaboration as viewed through the lens of a collaborative nursing research project. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 24, 682-687.
2.
Buczny, B.
, Speirs, J., & Howard, J. R. (1994). Nursing care of a terminally ill client: Applying Martha Rodgers’ conceptual framework. Home Health Care Nursing, 7(4), 13-18.
3.
Cohen, S. R.
, & Mount, B. M. (1992). Quality of life in terminal illness: Defining and measuring subjective well-being in the dying. Journal of Palliative Care, 8(3), 40-45.
4.
Cohen, S. R.
, Mount, B. M., Strobel, M. G., & Bui, F. (1995). The McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire: A measure of quality of life appropriate for people with advance disease. A preliminary study of validity and acceptability. Palliative Medicine, 9, 207-219.
5.
Conn, V. S.
(1995). Strategies for teaching nursing research: Involving students in advanced practice nurses’ and nurse educators’ collaborative research. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 17(5), 574-578.
6.
Easter, A.
(1997). The state of research on the effects of therapeutic touch. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 15(2), 158-175.
7.
Frank-Stromberg, M.
(1992). Instruments for clinical nursing research. Boston: Jones and Bartlett.
8.
Gagne, D.
, & Toyne, R. C. (1994). The effects of therapeutic touch and relaxation therapy in reducing anxiety. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 8(3), 184-189.
9.
Graydon, J. E.
, West, P., Galloway, S., Burlein-Hall, S., Palmer-Wickham, S., Blair, A., Evans-Boyden, B., Harrison-Woermke, D., Limoges, J., McCollin, A., & Rich-van der Bij, L. (1993). Bridging the gap between research and clinical practice: A collaborative approach. Oncology Nurse Forum, 20(6), 953-957.
10.
Health and Psychological Instruments (HaPI) (Version 5.21) [Electronic database]. (1997). Pittsburgh, PA: Behavioral Measurement Database Services [Producer and Distributor].
11.
Heidt, P.
(1981). Effect of therapeutic touch on anxiety level of hospitalized patients. Nursing Research, 30(1), 32-37.
12.
Keller, E.
, & Bzdek, V. (1986). Effects of therapeutic touch on tension headache pain. Nursing Research, 35(2), 101-110.
13.
King, J. M.
, White, M. A., Buckwalter, K. C., Whall, A., Ledermann, R., Speer, J., Lasky, P., & McLane, A. (1985). A group dynamics view. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 7(1), 7-19.
14.
Kramer, N. A.
(1990). Comparison of therapeutic touch and casual touch in stress reduction of hospitalized children. Pediatric Nursing, 16(5), 483-487.
15.
Krieger, D.
(1975). Therapeutic touch: The imprimatur of nursing. American Journal of Nursing, 5(2), 784-787.
16.
Lyons, N. B.
, Stein, M., Blackburn, S., Tribotti, S. J., & Withers, J. (1990). Too busy for research? Collaboration: An answer. American Journal of Maternal Child Nursing, 15(2), 67-68, 70, 72.
17.
Meehan, T.
(1991). Therapeutic touch and postoperative pain: A Rogerian research study. Nursing Science Quarterly, 6, 69-78.
18.
Murphy, L. L.
, Conoley, J. C., & Impara, J. C. (Eds.). (1994). Tests in Print IV. Lincoln, NE: Buros Institute of Mental Instruments.
19.
Nugent, K. E.
, & Lambert, V. A. (1996). Advanced-practice nurses: Approaches to collaborative research. Nursing Connections, 9(2), 5-16.
20.
Olson, M.
, & Sneed, N. (1995). Anxiety and therapeutic touch. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 16, 97-108.
21.
Olson, M.
, Sneed, N., Bonadonna, R., Ratliff, J., & Dias, J. (1992). Therapeutic touch and post hurricane Hugo stress. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 6(1), 37-45.
22.
Peck, S.
(1997). The effectiveness of therapeutic touch to decrease pain in elders with degenerative arthritis. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 15(2), 176-198.
23.
Quinn, J. F.
(1989). Therapeutic Touch as energy exchange: Replication and extension. Nursing Science Quarterly, 2, 79-87.
24.
Saunders, R. B.
, & Robins, E. (1989). Enhancing the educational benefits of collaborative research. Nurse Educator, 14(4), 23-27.
25.
Simington, J. A.
, & Laing, G. P. (1993). Effects of therapeutic touch on anxiety in the institutionalized elderly. Clinical Nursing Research, 2(4), 438-450.
26.
Thiele, J. E.
(1989). Guidelines for collaborative research. Applied Nursing Research, 2(4), 150-153.
27.
Wilson, H. S.
, & Kneisl, C. R. (1996). Psychiatric nursing (5th ed.). Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
28.
Wirth, D.
(1990). The effects of non-contact therapeutic touch on the healing rate of full thickness dermal wounds. Subtle Energies, 1(1), 1-20.
29.
Yonge, O.
, Skillen, D. L., & Henderson, D. (1996). Collaborative research by graduate students. Image: Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 28(4), 365-367.
