| Course | NUR 411 Understanding Research to Guide Nursing Practice |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 5 |
| Paper type | Evidence summary table with narrative |
| Length | About 1,040 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Southern New Hampshire University |
| Program | RN to BSN |
| Updated | September 2026 |
Free sample paper for NUR 411 Module 5
Six Studies, One Table: An Evidence Summary on Weighted Blankets for Anxiety and Sleep in Mental Health Care
[Student Name]
Southern New Hampshire University
NUR 411: Understanding Research to Guide Nursing Practice
Module Five Assignment
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The organization, setting and figures below are a composite written as a model document. No real employer, client, colleague or patient is described.
Six Studies, One Table: An Evidence Summary on Weighted Blankets for Anxiety and Sleep in Mental Health Care
An evidence table is a working tool, not a list. Its purpose is to put the same facts about every study in the same place so that patterns become visible without rereading every article. This assignment summarizes the six studies identified and ranked in earlier modules for the bedtime blanket question on 3 North, the composite psychiatric unit followed through this course. Read down the findings column, the table shows consistent signals of reduced anxiety and no serious harm; read across the setting and level columns, it shows that the strongest studies were not done on units like 3 North. Every entry is drawn from the published reports, and entries note where a detail could not be confirmed from the source.
The Evidence Table
Table 1 summarizes the six studies. Levels follow the Johns Hopkins model (Dang et al., 2022), and quality ratings reflect the appraisals completed in Module 4 and brief appraisals of the remaining studies.
Table 1
Evidence Summary Table: Weighted Blankets for Anxiety and Sleep
| Study | Design and sample | Intervention vs. comparison | Outcomes and measures | Key findings | Level / quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zhao et al. (2024) | Meta-analysis of 8 RCTs, 426 patients with mental disorders | Weighted blanket vs. control conditions | Anxiety, insomnia, adverse events | Small reduction in anxiety (pooled SMD 0.40); insomnia difference not significant overall; no serious adverse events; half of trials at high risk of bias | I / B |
| Ekholm et al. (2020) | RCT, 120 psychiatric outpatients | Heavy metal chain blanket vs. light plastic chain blanket, 4 weeks | Insomnia Severity Index, actigraphy, anxiety and depression scale | Large improvement in insomnia (d = 1.90); better sleep maintenance; less daytime anxiety and fatigue; no serious adverse events | I / B |
| Becklund et al. (2021) | Nonrandomized comparison, 122 inpatients | Chosen weighted blanket or lap pad vs. no weighted blanket, 20 minutes | Short state anxiety inventory, pulse | Anxiety and pulse fell only in the weighted group | II / B |
| Eron et al. (2020) | Systematic review of 8 studies of mixed design | Weighted blanket vs. varied or no controls | Anxiety, insomnia | May reduce anxiety; not enough evidence for insomnia | III / B |
| Champagne et al. (2015) | Descriptive single group, adult mental health inpatients | Weighted blanket, no control | Self-reported anxiety, vital signs, safety | Reported calming effect; no safety concerns described | III / C |
| Mullen et al. (2008) | Descriptive pilot, healthy adult volunteers | Weighted blanket, no control | Self-reported anxiety, physiological and safety measures | Supported safety of use; reduced anxiety reported by many participants | III / C |
Note. RCT = randomized controlled trial; SMD = standardized mean difference. Findings are taken from the published abstracts and article summaries; details not confirmed from full texts are stated generally.
Reading Down the Columns
Read by findings, the table is fairly consistent. Five of the six studies report a reduction in anxiety or a calming effect, and the meta-analysis, which pools the randomized trials, confirms a reduction in anxiety, although a small one (Zhao et al., 2024). Sleep findings are less consistent. The single largest trial found a large improvement in insomnia (Ekholm et al., 2020), but the meta-analysis found that the pooled insomnia difference across three trials was not statistically significant, and the earlier systematic review concluded that the evidence for insomnia was insufficient (Eron et al., 2020). Safety is the most consistent finding: no study reported serious adverse events.
Reading Across the Rows
Read by setting and design, the picture changes. The two Level I sources pooled or studied outpatients and mixed settings over weeks. The studies conducted in inpatient mental health settings, Becklund et al. (2021) and Champagne et al. (2015), used weaker designs, one with a brief exposure and one without any comparison group, and Mullen et al. (2008) studied healthy volunteers. Becklund et al. measured anxiety after a single 20-minute use, not overnight sleep. None of the studies measured outcomes that 3 North tracks, such as requests for as-needed medication at night. The row view shows that the question the unit most needs answered, whether weighted blankets help acutely ill inpatients sleep during the first nights of admission, has not been tested directly.
Contradictions and How to Handle Them
The main contradiction is between the large insomnia effect in the single trial and the nonsignificant pooled insomnia result. Several explanations are possible: the trials pooled in the meta-analysis used different blankets, populations and durations; some were small or at high risk of bias; and the large trial's self-reported primary outcome may have amplified its effect. Rather than choosing one study over the other, the synthesis should report both and explain that the effect on sleep is promising but uncertain, while the effect on anxiety is more consistent but smaller.
Gaps for the Synthesis
Three gaps emerge. First, no randomized trial has tested weighted blankets overnight on an acute adult inpatient psychiatric unit. Second, safety evidence comes largely from patients who could remove the blanket themselves; there is little on patients who are heavily sedated. Third, no study reports patient experience in depth, such as why some patients decline the blanket. These gaps will shape the recommendation in Module 6, pointing toward a cautious local trial with safety criteria and measures the unit already collects.
How the Table Was Built
The columns were chosen before any study was entered, so that every row would answer the same questions. Findings were copied in the authors' terms and then shortened, keeping numbers where the report gave them, such as the pooled standardized mean difference in the meta-analysis and the effect size in the trial. Where a detail was not available from the published summary, the cell describes it generally rather than guessing. Two studies, the meta-analysis and the earlier systematic review, overlap with some of the trials they include, so the table lists them as reviews and does not count their component trials again. Keeping these rules written down makes the table easier to update when new studies, such as the inpatient dementia trial now enrolling, report results.
Conclusion
Organized in one table, six studies on weighted blankets show a consistent signal of reduced anxiety, a promising but contested effect on sleep and no serious harm, with the strongest evidence coming from settings unlike 3 North. The table's value lies in making those patterns and gaps visible, so that the synthesis can say what the evidence supports and how much confidence the unit should place in it.
References
Becklund, A. L., Rapp-McCall, L., & Nudo, J. (2021). Using weighted blankets in an inpatient mental health hospital to decrease anxiety. Journal of Integrative Medicine, 19(2), 129-134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joim.2020.11.004
Champagne, T., Mullen, B., Dickson, D., & Krishnamurty, S. (2015). Evaluating the safety and effectiveness of the weighted blanket with adults during an inpatient mental health hospitalization. Occupational Therapy in Mental Health, 31(3), 211-233. https://doi.org/10.1080/0164212X.2015.1066220
Dang, D., Dearholt, S. L., Bissett, K., Ascenzi, J., & Whalen, M. (2022). Johns Hopkins evidence-based practice for nurses and healthcare professionals: Model and guidelines (4th ed.). Sigma Theta Tau International.
Ekholm, B., Spulber, S., & Adler, M. (2020). A randomized controlled study of weighted chain blankets for insomnia in psychiatric disorders. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 16(9), 1567-1577. https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.8636
Eron, K., Kohnert, L., Watters, A., Logan, C., Weisner-Rose, M., & Mehler, P. S. (2020). Weighted blanket use: A systematic review. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 74(2), Article 7402205010. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2020.037358
Mullen, B., Champagne, T., Krishnamurty, S., Dickson, D., & Gao, R. X. (2008). Exploring the safety and therapeutic effects of deep pressure stimulation using a weighted blanket. Occupational Therapy in Mental Health, 24(1), 65-89. https://doi.org/10.1300/J004v24n01_05
Zhao, Y., Zhang, Q., Liu, Z., Zhao, Z., & Zhu, Q. (2024). Safety and effectiveness of weighted blankets for symptom management in patients with mental disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 87, Article 103104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2024.103104
What the NUR 411 Module 5 instructions ask for
The Module 5 assignment in NUR 411 asks you to organize and summarize the research you have gathered, usually in an evidence table with a short narrative. Common instructions ask for consistent columns such as citation, design, sample and setting, intervention and comparison, outcomes and measures, findings, level of evidence and quality rating, followed by a paragraph or two identifying patterns, contradictions and gaps. Some sections provide a table template, such as the Johns Hopkins individual evidence summary tool. Expect the table plus two to three pages of narrative in APA 7. The table becomes the backbone of your synthesis in the next module and your poster after that, so accuracy and consistency matter more than length.
How this NUR 411 Module 5 evidence summary table example is built
This example summarizes six real studies on weighted blankets in mental health care in an APA table with columns for design and sample, intervention and comparison, outcomes and measures, key findings and level and quality. A table note explains abbreviations and states that entries come from published summaries. The narrative reads the table in two directions: down the findings column, which shows consistent anxiety reduction and no serious harm, and across the rows, which shows that the strongest studies were not done in acute inpatient settings. It explains the main contradiction on sleep outcomes, lists three gaps and connects them to the synthesis in the next module.
Where the NUR 411 Module 5 rubric puts the points
Evidence table rubrics usually score completeness and accuracy of the table, consistency of the columns, inclusion of level and quality, the narrative identification of patterns and contradictions and APA formatting. Accuracy is checked against the articles, so graders reward entries that report findings as the authors did, with numbers where available. Consistency matters because the table is meant to allow comparison. The narrative earns full credit when it goes beyond restating the rows to identify what the studies collectively suggest, where they disagree and what is missing. Correct APA table formatting, including a number, a title and a note, is part of the score.
NUR 411 Module 5 help: the mistakes that cost points
The most common problem with evidence tables is inconsistency: one row reports sample size and effect, the next only a vague conclusion, which defeats the purpose of comparison. Another is copying abstract sentences into cells, which makes the table long and hard to read. Some students leave out level and quality, so the table cannot show which findings deserve more weight. Others write a narrative that simply repeats each row in sentence form. Choose your columns first, fill every cell the same way, add level and quality, keep cells short and use the narrative to say what the studies show together, where they conflict and what they leave unanswered. Check every number against its source before you submit.
Get NUR 411 Module 5 written to your instructions
Send the studies you have gathered for your PICO question and any table template your section uses, along with the Module 5 rubric. A completed evidence table with a narrative on patterns and gaps comes back in 24 to 48 hours, and the first sample is free. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Southern New Hampshire University document.
More NUR 411 papers and related RN to BSN samples
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- NUR 411 Module 4 Research Appraisal: Appraising the Weighted Chain Blanket Trial
- NUR 411 Module 6 Research Synthesis and Stakeholders: What the Weighted Blanket Evidence Supports
- NUR 411 Module 7 Dissemination Poster: A Practice Council Poster on Weighted Blankets
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- NUR 305 Module 6 Milestone Three
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- NUR 490 Module 8 Reflection Discussion
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NUR 411 Module 5 questions, answered
Where can I find a free NUR 411 Module 5 evidence table sample?
The full evidence table and narrative on this page are free to read: six real weighted blanket studies organized by design, sample, intervention, outcomes, findings, level and quality, with patterns, contradictions, gaps and seven references. Tables for your own studies can be commissioned.
What columns should an evidence table have in NUR 411?
Citation, design, sample and setting, intervention and comparison, outcomes and measures, key findings, level of evidence and quality rating are common. Follow any template your instructor provides.
How much detail belongs in each cell?
Enough to compare studies at a glance: sample size, setting, main measures and the key result with numbers where available. Save explanation for the narrative below the table.
What do I do when studies in my table disagree?
Report both findings and explain possible reasons, such as differences in populations, interventions, measures or risk of bias. The synthesis should describe the disagreement, not hide it.
Can an evidence table include systematic reviews and single studies together?
Yes, as long as the design column makes the difference clear and you avoid counting the same trial twice when a review includes studies you also list separately.