Data Collection or Literature Search
The second stage in the integrative review process is the data collection or literature search phase.9 Cooper1 notes that reports of past pertinent research are the data for this review process. Identifying the target and accessible population are 2 key steps in this stage. The target population includes individual or groups the reviewer hopes to represent in the integrative review. Results could be generalized to this population. Examples of target population inclusion criteria are individuals within a particular age range, with a particular diagnosis, who have completed a particular treatment therapy. When conducting an integrative review, there are 2 important components of the target population: (1) all previous published reports on a topic and (2) the population of people within those reports that the reviewer is targeting. For example, the target population for an integrative review may be all studies of adult kidney transplant recipients examining immunosuppressive medication noncompliance