BUSI 418 Week 2 Literature Review Matrix Example

Reviewed by Laura Hargrove, MPH · Liberty University · Updated

This BUSI 418 Week 2 sample completes the course's literature review matrix on one question a hospital administrator might ask: what influences whether nurses stay or leave? It summarizes two quantitative studies, a survey and claims analysis of 132 Pennsylvania hospitals linking heavier patient loads to deaths, burnout and intent to leave, and a survey of 572 nurses linking error-related distress to turnover intention, alongside two qualitative studies, interviews with community nurses and focus groups with nursing home staff about what keeps them. For each article the matrix records purpose, design, sample, methods, findings and limitations, and a synthesis below the matrix compares what the two kinds of evidence show together. Liberty University BUSI 418 weights this matrix at 200 points, more than any other single task in the healthcare administration course.

CourseBUSI 418 Research and Evidence Based Practice in Healthcare (BUSI418)
Module/Week2
AssignmentLiterature Review Matrix
Paper typeLiterature review matrix with synthesis
Lengthabout 488 words, 2 double-spaced pages plus title page and references. Course guide: a literature review matrix, completed on the provided template, summarizing 2 quantitative and 2 qualitative research articles on a health care question
FormatAPA 7 student paper
Points200
SchoolLiberty University Online
ProgramBS in Healthcare Administration
Where it sitsModule/Week 2 in Liberty's published BUSI 418 course guide; current sections can differ
UpdatedOctober 2026

Free sample paper for BUSI 418 Week 2

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Literature Review Matrix: What Influences Nurses' Intention to Stay or Leave?

 

[Student Name]

School of Business, Liberty University

BUSI 418: Research and Evidence Based Practice in Healthcare

Literature Review Matrix

[Instructor Name]

[Date]

 

The question and the writer's workplace are composites; the four research articles summarized in the matrix are real.

Why this part earns its pointsThe question is stated first, because every column of the matrix is filled in relation to it.
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Literature Review Matrix: What Influences Nurses' Intention to Stay or Leave?

Question and Search

I work in human resources at a community hospital where first-year nurse turnover has been high, so I chose the question: what influences hospital and long-term care nurses' intention to stay or leave? Hall and Roussel (2017) recommend beginning a review with a focused question and then searching systematically for primary research. I searched library databases for studies from the last five years using terms such as turnover intention, retention, staffing and nurses, and read each methods section to confirm the design. I selected two quantitative studies that measured relationships among variables and two qualitative studies that explored nurses' own explanations. I excluded reviews and opinion pieces, since the matrix calls for primary research, and preferred studies with clear descriptions of their samples.

Literature Review Matrix

CitationPurposeDesignSample and settingData collectionKey findingsLimitations
Muir et al. (2026)Test whether nurse workloads relate to patient, nurse and cost outcomesQuantitative, cross-sectional observational547,689 patients and 2,782 nurses in 132 Pennsylvania hospitalsNurse surveys linked to patient discharge dataEach added patient per nurse linked to higher 30-day mortality, readmissions, longer stays, burnout and intent to leaveOne state; cross-sectional, so causation cannot be proven
Xu et al. (2025)Examine how second victim experience relates to turnover intentionQuantitative, cross-sectional survey with structural equation modeling572 nurses, ChinaValidated questionnaires on second victim experience, resilience, growth and turnover intentionSecond victim experience positively correlated with turnover intention; posttraumatic growth partly mediated the linkConvenience sample; one country; self-report
Chamanga et al. (2025)Explore factors influencing recruitment and retention of community nursesQualitative, exploratoryRegistered nurses and managers in adult community nursing across NHS trusts in EnglandSemi-structured interviewsEight themes, including alignment with organizational values, job dissatisfaction, lack of compassionate leadership and family commitmentsSmall sample; English community setting may differ from U.S. hospitals
Ramanan et al. (2026)Identify incentives that could improve nursing home staff retentionQualitative, focus groups31 employees of a 115-bed U.S. nursing homeThree moderated focus groups, thematic analysisRecognition, culture, nutrition and other incentives such as education emerged as retention themesSingle facility; participants may not represent all staff
Why this part earns its pointsThe synthesis compares the two kinds of evidence instead of repeating the table, which is where the matrix becomes useful.
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Reading the Matrix

Each row summarizes one study, and the columns follow the order in which a reader would judge it: what it set out to learn, how it was designed, who took part, how data were gathered, what it found and where its weaknesses lie. Hall and Roussel (2017) emphasize that appraisal depends on matching a study's design to its question, which is why the design column distinguishes cross-sectional surveys from interviews and focus groups rather than simply labeling each study research.

Synthesis

The quantitative studies identify conditions associated with leaving. Muir et al. (2026) show that heavier workloads go with burnout and intent to leave across a large state sample, and Xu et al. (2025) show that the distress of involvement in errors goes with stronger turnover intention. The qualitative studies explain why. Chamanga et al. (2025) found that nurses weigh whether the organization's values match their own and whether leaders show compassion, while Ramanan et al. (2026) found that recognition and workplace culture matter alongside pay and perks. Together, the four suggest that an administrator who wants to keep nurses should address workload and support after errors, which the numbers highlight, and leadership, values and recognition, which nurses describe in their own words.

Application to My Workplace

Why this part earns its pointsThe application turns the synthesis into questions the hospital can answer from its own records.
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For our hospital, the matrix suggests three practical questions to bring to nursing leadership. First, how do our nurse-to-patient ratios on nights compare with the workloads Muir et al. (2026) linked to burnout? Second, what happens to a nurse after a serious error, and is there support of the kind Xu et al. (2025) suggest matters? Third, do our exit interviews ask about leadership, values and recognition, the themes nurses raised in the two qualitative studies? Answering these with our own data would show whether the patterns in the literature hold locally.

Gaps

None of the four studies tested an intervention, so the matrix shows what is associated with leaving but not what works to prevent it. Two were conducted outside the United States. A next step would be to look for intervention studies, such as evaluations of residency or staffing programs, and for studies from U.S. hospitals similar in size to ours. Numbers show where nurses are leaving; their own words show why.

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References

Chamanga, E., Dyson, J., Jarrett, M., & McKeown, E. (2025). Investigating factors influencing recruitment and retention of adult community nurses: An exploratory qualitative study across NHS trusts in England. Primary Health Care Research & Development, 26, e87. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1463423625100480

Hall, H. R., & Roussel, L. A. (2017). Evidence-based practice: An integrative approach to research, administration, and practice (2nd ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Muir, K. J., Aiken, L. H., Brom, H., Hovsepian, V., Lasater, K. B., & McHugh, M. D. (2026). Safe minimum nurse staffing requirements for hospitals: Evidence from Pennsylvania. Medical Care, 64(7), 447-455. https://doi.org/10.1097/MLR.0000000000002332

Ramanan, H., Kalarchian, M., Pezzone, A., Rhoads, C., & Linkov, F. (2026). Enhancing employee retention in nursing homes through non-monetary incentives: Insights from focus groups. Geriatric Nursing, 70, 103983. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gerinurse.2026.103983

Xu, Y., Jin, Q., Zhou, Q., Zhang, R., & Ding, W. (2025). Relationship between second victim experience and turnover intention in Chinese nurses: Assessing the mediating role of posttraumatic growth using structural equation modeling. Journal of Nursing Management, 2025, 7327139. https://doi.org/10.1155/jonm/7327139

What the BUSI 418 Week 2 instructions ask

Two tasks fall in Module/Week 2 of BUSI 418: Forum 3 and the Literature Review Matrix, which this page samples, with reading from chapters 3 and 4 of the Hall and Roussel text plus the week's lecture and web resource. The matrix asks for four primary research articles on one health care question, two quantitative and two qualitative, entered in the course template with each study's purpose, design, sample, methods, findings and limitations. It carries 200 points. The same four articles return in Module/Week 6 for the Levels of Evidence assignment, so a careless choice now costs twice, and an accurate design label now saves work later.

How this BUSI 418 Week 2 example is built

The sample states a single question about nurse retention and explains how the four articles were found and why each qualifies as quantitative or qualitative. The matrix itself has one row per article and columns for citation, purpose, design, sample and setting, data collection, key findings and limitations. Below it, a short synthesis compares the quantitative findings on workload and distress with the qualitative findings on values, leadership and recognition, and notes what an administrator could conclude from all four. The paper ends with the gaps the matrix reveals and a reference list in APA format. A short section applies the findings to the writer's hospital. A short note explains how to read the columns.

BUSI 418 Week 2 grading rubric: where the points go

Literature review matrices in BUSI 418 are generally graded on choosing a focused question, selecting two genuinely quantitative and two genuinely qualitative peer-reviewed research articles, completing every column accurately and concisely, identifying each study's design and limitations correctly and presenting citations in APA format. Faculty notice when a review or opinion article is mistaken for a research study, or when a qualitative study is labeled quantitative. A brief synthesis that compares the articles, rather than repeating the matrix, shows the analytical skill the course is building. A short application to the student's own workplace shows how the evidence could be used. Concise cells that a reader can scan quickly are a sign of a well-built matrix.

BUSI 418 Week 2 help: mistakes that cost points

Start with a narrow question that matters to your workplace, such as staff retention, patient falls or no-shows. Search a library database for recent primary research, and check each article's methods section to confirm whether it is quantitative or qualitative. Fill in each column in a phrase or two, not paragraphs. Record limitations honestly, including sample size and setting. Keep the same four articles for the Levels of Evidence assignment in Module/Week 6, and write a few sentences comparing what the studies show together. Write each matrix cell in a phrase or two so the table stays readable. Ask a librarian if you are unsure of a study's design.

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BUSI 418 Week 2 questions, answered

What is the BUSI 418 Literature Review Matrix?

The 200-point Module/Week 2 assignment in which students summarize two quantitative and two qualitative research articles on a health care question using the course template.

Where can I find a free BUSI 418 Week 2 sample paper?

Scroll up on this page for a finished BUSI 418 Week 2 literature review matrix on nurse retention, covering four research articles with a synthesis, an application and identified gaps.

What is the difference between quantitative and qualitative research?

Quantitative studies measure variables and test relationships with numbers and statistics; qualitative studies explore experiences and meanings through interviews, focus groups or observation.

What columns does a literature review matrix include?

Typically the citation, purpose, design, sample and setting, data collection methods, key findings and limitations, and sometimes the study's relevance to the reader's question.

Are the same articles used later in BUSI 418?

Yes. The four articles from the matrix are used again in Module/Week 6, when students identify and explain each article's level of evidence.

Use it as a model, or ask for your own

This paper is an original model written by our desk for study. It is not a submitted student paper and not an official Liberty University document. Read it for structure and reasoning, then write your own to the instructions in your Canvas course. If you want a version built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.