Examination of postgraduate theses using experimental animals in nursing in Türkiye: Systematic review

The aim of this study was to examine the postgraduate theses conducted in the field of nursing in Türkiye between 2013 and 2023 using experimental animals and to determine the contribution of the use of experimental animals in nursing research to nursing science. The literature review was conducted from September to October 2023 in the National Thesis Center database of the Council of Higher Education (CoHE) using the keywords “experimental animal, animal experiments, rat, mouse and nursing” in Turkish. We found 14 published postgraduate thesis studies in the field of nursing registered in the CoHE National Thesis Center. All theses that met the screening criteria were included in the study (n=14). The theses were examined in terms of year, department, sample group, method, master's and doctoral theses. The data were evaluated as percentages and numbers in the SPSS package program. It was determined that 50% of the postgraduate theses included in the study were conducted between 2013-2018 and the other half between 2019-2023, 85.72% of the theses subject to the study were doctoral dissertations, 28.57% of the studies were conducted in the department of internal medicine nursing, and rats were used as experimental animals in 78.57% of the sample group. Characteristics of the theses included in this review; hypericum perforatum-clinoptilolite-hydrocolloid dressing, olive leaf extract wound dressing, allicin application, tea tree oil, lavender oil and bay leaf essential oil in diabetic wound healing (n=6), use of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation in wound healing and oxidative stress in diabetic rats (n=1), application of silk protein, propolis, frankincense oil and a hemostatic product in full-thickness wound healing (n=1), topical propolis application in burn healing (n=1), oxidative damage in rats exposed to noise stress in surgical intensive care unit (n=1), application of different diet types in pressure sores (n=1), effects of diabetes on newborn in pregnant rats (n=1), cadmium application in fertility parameters (n=1), and the use of vitamin C and E combination and brown algin in the improvement of semen parameters in infertile male rats (n=1). In conclusion, it is suggested that postgraduate studies using experimental animals in the field of nursing in Türkiye are limited, more evidence-based studies that will contribute to nursing science and care in our country, as in the international arena should be conducted and researchers should be supported.