Selection of a Conceptual Model/Framework for Guiding Research Interventions

Conceptual frameworks or models are used to guide research studies, nursing practice and educational programs, but few researchers have described the criteria used for selecting a conceptual framework for guiding the design of an educational intervention. This paper presents the criteria for appraising conceptual models, results of a critical review of these models and application of a model in designing a research intervention. The investigator has critically appraised six models of cultural competence for their suitability to guide the development of an intervention to assist nurses in refining their cultural competence skills. Criteria used to appraise the models are: Comprehensiveness of content, logical congruence, conceptual clarity, level of abstraction, clinical utility, and perspective on culture (cultural literacy versus experiential-phenomenological perspective). Several of the models met three or more criteria, but Campinha-Bacote's (1999) model of cultural competence is selected to guide the development of the intervention because it provides direction for education, practice and research as well as meets all the aforementioned criteria.