NUR 593 Module 3 Synthesis Table and Integrative Summary Example

Reviewed by Ingrid Vasterling, MSN, RN Arizona State University Updated October 2026

This NUR 593 Module 3 sample is the synthesis table and integrative summary, the second Scholarly Inquiry assignment in ASU's Applied Project course. ASU NUR 593 asks students in Weeks 6 and 7 to move from appraising sources one at a time to synthesizing what the evidence shows together, a key step in the online MS in Nursing capstone. The composite mother-baby unit educator builds a table that sorts the six safe sleep sources by intervention component and outcome, then writes an integrative summary. She concludes that nurse education improves knowledge but that visible cues, audits and feedback are needed to change what parents see, notes the strength and limits of the evidence, and says what her unit can act on.

CourseNUR 593 Applied Project
ModuleModule 3
Paper typeEvidence synthesis table with integrative summary
LengthAbout 613 words, 5 pages
FormatAPA 7 student paper
SchoolArizona State University
ProgramMS in Nursing
UpdatedOctober 2026

Free sample paper for NUR 593 Module 3

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Education Is Not Enough: A Synthesis Table and Integrative Summary on Safe Sleep in the Hospital

Student Name

Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Arizona State University

NUR 593: Applied Project

Instructor Name

Month Day, Year

What this page is doingThe title states the main conclusion of the synthesis, which shows the grader that the summary integrates the evidence rather than listing it.
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Education Is Not Enough: A Synthesis Table and Integrative Summary on Safe Sleep in the Hospital

Evidence Synthesis Table

The table shows which sources address each intervention component and outcome. An X marks a component that was part of the intervention or an outcome that was measured.

SourceNurse educationVisual cuesAudits and feedbackNurse knowledge outcomeInfant sleep environment outcomeParent outcome
Moon et al. (2022)RecommendedNot addressedNot addressedNot measuredDefines the standardNot measured
Shadman et al. (2016)XXXImprovedImprovedHome practices assessed
Sleutel et al. (2018)XXXImprovedImprovedRecall improved
Gelfer et al. (2013)XXXNot reportedImprovedHome practice improved
Patterson et al. (2022)XNot reportedXImprovedImprovedTeaching improved
Stone et al. (2023)Not testedNot testedAudit onlyHigh at baselineGaps foundNot measured

Integrative Summary

The evidence on hospital safe sleep interventions converges on three findings.

First, knowledge and practice are different things. Nurses in a large maternity service showed high knowledge of safe sleep recommendations, yet audits of mother-baby couplets found frequent unsafe conditions, and staff reported regularly correcting them (Stone et al., 2023). This suggests that a knowledge gap is not the main problem on many units, and that a project relying on education alone may raise test scores without changing the bassinet.

Second, the interventions that improved the infant sleep environment combined education with visible cues and audits. In a children's hospital, a policy, redesigned room setup, nurse education and continuous audits raised the proportion of empty cribs from 3.4% to 60.3% (Shadman et al., 2016). Across three hospitals, combining education and new unit routines with crib cards and signs improved five of six observed sleep conditions (Sleutel et al., 2018). In a neonatal intensive care unit, supine positioning before discharge rose from 39% to 83% after a multifactorial program that included audits (Gelfer et al., 2013). A small maternity service also improved specific elements, such as fewer multiple blankets, after education and crib audits (Patterson et al., 2022). The common thread is that staff saw their own results.

Third, hospital modeling appears to influence parents. Parents' recall of nurse teaching improved on every item measured in the three-hospital study (Sleutel et al., 2018), and parents in the neonatal program reported safer practices at home (Gelfer et al., 2013). These findings support the premise of the project: what parents see before discharge shapes what they do at home, which is the reason the AAP asks hospitals to model its recommendations (Moon et al., 2022).

Strength and Limits of the Evidence

Taken together, the studies point the same way, though none is strong on its own. Only one source used a quasi-experimental design across multiple sites; the others were single-site quality improvement projects or descriptive studies. Follow-up periods were short, and few studies measured home practices directly. None compared intervention components to show which matters most. These limits are typical of quality improvement literature and do not argue against acting, but they oblige the project to track its own results closely.

What the Evidence Supports for This Unit

The synthesis supports a bundled intervention on the mother-baby unit: a brief nurse education module based on the 2022 AAP recommendations, cards on each crib and signs in each room that make the standard visible, and a weekly bassinet audit whose results the team reviews together. Because knowledge may already be high, the project's primary outcome should be the observed sleep environment rather than test scores. Parent teaching should be included, and the evaluation plan should consider language, since none of the studies addressed families who speak languages other than English.

References

Gelfer, P., Cameron, R., Masters, K., & Kennedy, K. A. (2013). Integrating "Back to Sleep" recommendations into neonatal ICU practice. Pediatrics, 131(4), e1264-e1270. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2012-1857

Moon, R. Y., Carlin, R. F., Hand, I., & Task Force on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and the Committee on Fetus and Newborn. (2022). Sleep-related infant deaths: Updated 2022 recommendations for reducing infant deaths in the sleep environment. Pediatrics, 150(1), e2022057990. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2022-057990

Patterson, K. J., Adams, E. D., & Ramieh, C. (2022). Infant safe sleep initiative in a small volume maternity service. MCN: The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing, 47(4), 189-194. https://doi.org/10.1097/NMC.0000000000000836

Shadman, K. A., Wald, E. R., Smith, W., & Coller, R. J. (2016). Improving safe sleep practices for hospitalized infants. Pediatrics, 138(3), e20154441. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2015-4441

Sleutel, M. R., True, B., Gustus, H., Baldwin, K., & Early, B. (2018). Response to a national issue: Moving beyond "Back to Sleep" at three hospitals. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 43, 16-22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2018.07.013

Stone, G., Chase, A., Vidrine, D. C., Singleton, W. W., Kitto, L., Laborde, K., Harper, J., & Sutton, E. F. (2023). Safe newborn sleep practices on a large volume maternity service. MCN: The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing, 48(1), 43-47. https://doi.org/10.1097/NMC.0000000000000879

NUR 593 Module 3 instructions, in plain terms

The course syllabus places Assignment 3, Synthesis Table and Integrative Summary, in Weeks 6 and 7, under Course Module 3, which it calls Construction and which covers the evidence synthesis table and the integrative summary. It is the second of two Scholarly Inquiry assignments, which together are worth 28 of 100 points. Expect to organize your sources by themes, intervention components or outcomes in a synthesis table, then write a summary that integrates findings across studies, weighs how strong the evidence is overall and states what it supports for your project. Canvas will show the table format and summary length. Return to your evidence table and leveling before you begin, since errors there carry into the synthesis.

How the NUR 593 Module 3 example is put together

The synthesis table is organized by intervention components and outcomes rather than by study, which is what distinguishes synthesis from appraisal. The integrative summary is built around three findings, each supported by several sources, so the paragraphs compare studies rather than describe them one at a time. A section judges the strength and limits of the body of evidence honestly. The final section turns the synthesis into a recommendation for the unit, including the choice of primary outcome and a gap the project will address. Each finding is stated in its first sentence, which lets a reader skim the summary and still follow the argument from evidence to recommendation.

Where the marks sit in the NUR 593 Module 3 rubric

Synthesis assignments are usually graded on organization by themes or components rather than by source, accurate integration of findings across studies, judgment of the overall strength and consistency of evidence, a clear statement of what the evidence supports, and APA style. Faculty look for summaries that compare and contrast rather than summarize. Recognizing where evidence is thin, and adjusting the project accordingly, shows mature evidence-based reasoning. A synthesis that leads clearly into the intervention proposal sets up the next assignment well. Explaining how the synthesis changed the planned intervention or outcome measure is a strong signal that the student is using evidence to make decisions. Consistency between the synthesis table and the summary also matters, since faculty compare the two.

NUR 593 Module 3 help: mistakes that cost marks

The most common weakness is an integrative summary that discusses one study per paragraph. Organize paragraphs by finding instead. Another is overstating the evidence; name the designs and their limits. Make sure the synthesis table's columns reflect what matters for your question. Close by saying plainly what the evidence supports. Keep claims tied to citations. If you want help turning your evidence table into a synthesis, send both your table and question to the desk. Choose table columns that reflect your question's components, so the table itself reveals the pattern you describe in the summary. Revisit your evidence table first and correct any leveling errors before you synthesize.

Write yours, or have the desk draft it

This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Arizona State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.

More NUR 593 and MS in Nursing sample papers

NUR 593 Module 3 questions, answered

Where can I find a free NUR 593 Module 3 sample paper?

The synthesis table and integrative summary are shown above in full: six safe sleep sources sorted by intervention components and outcomes, three integrated findings, strength of evidence, and what it supports.

What is the difference between an evidence table and a synthesis table?

An evidence table appraises each source separately; a synthesis table organizes sources by themes, components or outcomes to show patterns across them.

How do I write an integrative summary for NUR 593?

Organize paragraphs around findings supported by several sources, compare results, judge the strength of the evidence and state what it supports.

What if the evidence for my NUR 593 project is weak?

Say so, explain the designs and gaps, and plan to measure your project's results carefully rather than overstating what the literature shows.

When is the NUR 593 synthesis due?

The syllabus places it in Weeks 6 and 7, after the evidence review table.