SynthesisBMJ open quality2022
Systematic review and narrative synthesis of the impact of Appreciative Inquiry in healthcare.
Synthesis in BMJ open quality, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Strategies and tools to learn from work that goes well within healthcare patient safety practices: a mixed methods systematic review.BMC health services research · 2025Pooled it
- No effect of learning from excellence on patient safety culture in a postanaesthesia care unit: a longitudinal quasi-experimental study.BMC health services research · 2026Observational
- The FUSION Model: Smart Integration of Tradition and Innovation in Medical Education.Journal of advances in medical education & professionalism · 2026Article
- Mentorship Strategies and Illustrative Cases at Every Career Stage.AEM education and training · 2026Review
- Building a Better Clinical Competency Committee: A Multi-Institutional Approach to Improving the Quality of Resident Feedback Through Appreciative Inquiry.HCA healthcare journal of medicine · 2026Article
- Mental health practitioners' experiences providing mental healthcare services to students in a higher education institution: A qualitative study.The South African journal of psychiatry : SAJP : the journal of the Society of Psychiatrists of South Africa · 2026Article
- Exploring the Feasibility of Appreciative Inquiry on Job Satisfaction of Intensive Care Nurses: A Mixed-Method Study.Journal of nursing management · 2026Article
- The Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) program at the University of Toronto: Early observations from Canada's first professional public health doctorate.Canadian journal of public health = Revue canadienne de sante publique · 2025Article
- Implementing Strengths-Based, Positive Approaches Within Rheumatology Fellowship Training: A Realist Evaluation of Appreciative Inquiry-Based Interventions.Journal of clinical rheumatology : practical reports on rheumatic & musculoskeletal diseases · 2025Article
- Implementing Learning from Excellence in a postanaesthesia care unit: a qualitative study of healthcare professionals' experiences after six months.BMC health services research · 2025Observational
- 'SWell' Staff Wellbeing Interventions in Paediatric Critical Care: A Feasibility Study.Journal of evaluation in clinical practice · 2025Article
- Clinicians Perspectives on Effective Suicide Prevention in Secondary Care Adult Mental Health Services: An Appreciative Inquiry Approach.International journal of mental health nursing · 2025Article
- Social resource as a critical and overlooked factor for patient safety in low-resource settings.Frontiers in health services · 2025Article
- Exploring the early experiences of assisted dying in Aotearoa New Zealand: a qualitative study protocol.BMJ open · 2024Article
- Article
- African migrant men's experiences and preferences for formal mental health help-seeking: meta-synthesis and recommendations.Australian journal of psychology · 2024Review
- Professional nurses' perspectives of an ideal performance management process.Health SA = SA Gesondheid · 2024Article
- Commentary: A study of error reporting by nurses: the significant impact of nursing team dynamics.Journal of research in nursing : JRN · 2023Article
- Towards an Understanding of Successes of the Psychiatric Nurses in Caring for Children with Mental Health Problems: An Appreciative Inquiry.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAppreciative Inquiry is a motivational, organisational change intervention, which can be used to improve the quality and safety of healthcare. It encourages organisations to focus on the positive and investigate the best of 'what is' before thinking of 'what might be', deciding 'what should be' and experiencing 'what can be'. Its effects in healthcare are poorly understood. This review seeks to evaluate whether Appreciative Inquiry can improve healthcare.
methodsMajor electronic databases and grey literature were searched. Two authors identified reports of Appreciative Inquiry in clinical settings by screening study titles, abstracts and full texts. Data extraction, in duplicate, grouped outcomes into an adapted Kirkpatrick model: participant reaction, attitudes, knowledge/skills, behaviour change, organisational change and patient outcomes.
resultsWe included 33 studies. One randomised controlled trial, 9 controlled observational studies, 4 qualitative studies and 19 non-controlled observational reports. Study quality was generally poor, with most having significant risk of bias. Studies report that Appreciative Inquiry impacts outcomes at all Kirkpatrick levels. Participant reaction was positive in the 16 studies reporting it. Attitudes changed in the seventeen studies that reported them. Knowledge/skills changed in the 14 studies that reported it, although in one it was not universal. Behaviour change occurred in 12 of the 13 studies reporting it. Organisational change occurred in all 23 studies that reported it. Patient outcomes were reported in eight studies, six of which reported positive changes and two of which showed no change.
conclusionThere is minimal empirical evidence to support the effectiveness of Appreciative Inquiry in improving healthcare. However, the qualitative and observational evidence suggests that Appreciative Inquiry may have a positive impact on clinical care, leading to improved patient and organisational outcomes. It is, therefore, worthy of consideration when trying to deliver improvements in care. However, high-quality studies are needed to prove its effects. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42015014485.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.