Edinburgh Napier University

  Background
All studies need to integrate their findings back in to the literature to explain how the new knowledge changes understanding. This process can be anxiety provoking, especially where the new literature appears to threaten the originality of the study.
Aim
This paper introduces a method of synthesising relevant literature with primary data
Method
Concurrent analysis treats all data as primary data. Findings from a doctoral study of the patient experience of vascular access devices are synthesised with relevant literature to illustrate the technique.
Results
Concurrent Analysis raised new questions that would otherwise have remained unknown. For example, it revealed cultural differences in the way patients react to sub-optimal treatment.
Implications for practice
Nurse researchers are best placed to influence policy and practice when they can articulate the transferability of their findings. Concurrent Analysis is a practical method of achieving this.