Examples of narrative reviews

A narrative review is a type of literature review that provides a comprehensive, qualitative summary of research on a particular topic. It synthesizes information from various studies to give an overview of current knowledge, often highlighting important themes, trends, and gaps in the literature.

Medicine

The narrative literature review "Narrative Review of Infection Control Knowledge and Attitude among Healthcare Workers" by Aljohani et al. (2020) examines the knowledge and attitudes of healthcare workers (HCWs) toward infection control, focusing on blood-borne pathogens like HBV, HCV, and HIV. Using Proquest, Medline, and Up To Date databases, 28 articles published between 2000 and 2018 were analyzed. The review found that HCWs generally possess a high knowledge of precautionary measures and exhibit above-average compliance with needle safety protocols. There was a weak positive correlation between staff attitudes and precautionary measures and a moderate positive correlation between precautionary measures and needle safety compliance. Crucially, the study identified that stronger precautionary measures significantly improve compliance with needle safety precautions, emphasizing the need for robust infection control practices to mitigate the risks HCWs face.

Psychology

The narrative literature review by Popat and Tarrant (2023) "Exploring adolescents' perspectives on social media and mental health and well-being - A qualitative literature review" explored adolescents' perspectives on social media's impact on their mental health and well-being. Focusing on adolescents aged 13 to 17, the review examined qualitative studies published from January 2014 to December 2020, sourced from APA Psychinfo, Web of Science, PubMed, and Google Scholar, yielding 24 research papers. The review identified five main themes: self-expression and validation, appearance comparison and body ideals, pressure to stay connected, social engagement and peer support, and exposure to bullying and harmful content. It found that social media can contribute to poor mental health through validation-seeking, fear of judgement, body comparison, addiction, and cyberbullying. However, it also highlighted the positive aspects, such as connection, support, and discussion forums for those with similar diagnoses. Future research should consider adolescents' suggestions for social media improvements, study younger participants, and assess the impact of COVID-19 on social media use and mental health.