Desk review as a methodological approach for identifying policies and gray literature: A case study.
Desk reviews are widely used in health policy research, yet standardized procedures are lacking. This becomes particularly problematic when working with regulatory and professional documents that are not indexed in academic databases, making access and analysis fragmented. The paper aims to propose...
| Publicado en: | Nursing Outlook Vol. 73; no. 6 |
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| Autores principales: | , , , , , , |
| Formato: | Journal Article |
| Publicado: |
Elsevier B.V.
Nov2025
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| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=189854344&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ccm uiTerm: 189854344 longDbName: CINAHL Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: dissinfo: jinfo: jid: 00296554 22Y jtl: Nursing Outlook issn: 00296554 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Nov2025 vid: 73 iid: 6 pid: 467 pub: Elsevier B.V. place: New York, New York artinfo: ui: 189854344 10.1016/j.outlook.2025.102547 189854344 ppct: 1 formats: tig: atl: Desk review as a methodological approach for identifying policies and gray literature: A case study. aug: au: Barbieri, Martina Catania, Gianluca Hayter, Mark ALEO, Giuseppe Zanini, Milko Sasso, Loredana Bagnasco, Annamaria affil: Department of Health Sciences, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy sug: subj: Edit and Review Methods Research Methodology Data Collection Methods Health Policy Gray Literature Information Storage Information Seeking Behavior Publishing Information Resources Italy Midwifery Service International Confederation of Midwives Conceptual Framework Practice Guidelines Research, Nursing Research, Midwifery ab: Desk reviews are widely used in health policy research, yet standardized procedures are lacking. This becomes particularly problematic when working with regulatory and professional documents that are not indexed in academic databases, making access and analysis fragmented. The paper aims to propose a structured approach to conducting a desk review. A case study is presented. Drawing on a three-step method—comprising an initial broad search, a targeted exploration of institutional sources, and an iterative selection and refinement process—the study offers a replicable framework to ensure rigor, transparency, and adaptability. The approach is illustrated through its application to the regulatory landscape of midwifery care in Italy, using the International Confederation of Midwives' Professional Framework as a reference for thematic analysis. By outlining the methodology in detail, the paper contributes to strengthening desk review practices in health policy research and offers practical guidance for researchers working with gray literature and fragmented policy sources. • A structured three-step method for desk reviews of policy documents is proposed. • The method ensures rigor and transparency in analyzing nonindexed sources. • The approach is adaptable to various health policy and professional contexts. • Supports methodological clarity in policy research for nursing and midwifery. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Journal Article ougenre: Article language: English refInfo: holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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