Nursing Research Topics for Students’ Projects

Nursing Research Topics You Should Explore in 2026

Decision paralysis is real, especially when you have to pick among thousands of nursing research topics. To help you deal with the choice, we’ve created this list. It’s handily divided into thematic sections. So first, you should choose your general research field or area of interest. Next, skip right to the relevant section and skim the nursing research topics for students that our writers developed. If an idea catches your eye, great! Now all you have to do is research and complete the assignment. 

But if you don’t like any of our suggestions or need more help than selecting a topic, feel free to contact our medical essay service. Get in touch with our support team or place your order, and we’ll get right on it! 

Relevant Nursing Research Topics for Students

Although our list is chock-full of good nursing research topics, we’ll start with the best. These ideas deal with the most recent findings, changes, and insights, so your professor will definitely appreciate a fresh take. Just remember to choose the most reliable and credible sources for these nursing topics for a research paper, or contact us to buy nursing essays and research papers that will land you an A.

  1. Integrating wearable health devices into post-discharge healthcare monitoring routines
  2. Ethical considerations of AI-assisted nursing decision-making and paperwork
  3. The benefits and drawbacks of automating nurses’ workload through robotization
  4. Cybersecurity training for nurses using medical devices and digital patient records
  5. The impact of telehealth nursing interventions on rural community health outcomes
  6. Implementation and effectiveness of real-time clinical dashboards for prioritizing nursing tasks
  7. Establishing professional boundaries in nurse-patient social media interactions
  8. Evaluating the effectiveness of AI-generated nursing training simulations
  9. The risks of using natural language processing to reduce nursing documentation workload
  10. Implementation of mobile apps for monitoring medication adherence among older patients
  11. Continuous remote patient monitoring through wearable devices and its ethical implications
  12. Nurse-led digital literacy classes for patients requiring constant support or supervision
  13. The effectiveness of machine learning algorithms for predicting hereditary diseases
  14. Training nurses for implementing AI without risking patient privacy
  15. Integrating virtual reality-powered interventions for rehabilitation or managing pain and anxiety
  16. Assessing the impact of nursing interventions on digital transformation on care quality
  17. Comparative analysis of ER nurses’ and AI-generated triage decisions
  18. Integrating environmental and social data into patients’ medical records for improving nursing care quality
  19. Offline and online nursing learning effectiveness and its impact on patient outcomes
  20. The potential for including nursing data for modelling infectious disease spread during an epidemic

Quantitative Nursing Research Topics

Any nursing research topics you can analyze with numbers and statistics fall into the quantitative research category. Before choosing one of the nursing topics we suggest, make sure you have enough numerical data to analyze. Otherwise, your research will look weak and unsubstantiated.

  1. Statistical analysis of fall rate reduction as a function of the frequency of nurse rounds
  2. The correlation between medical staff hygiene interventions and patient infection rates
  3. Evaluation of the impact of nurse-led discharge training on patient readmission rate
  4. The relationship between nursing staff overtime rates and the number of medication errors
  5. The effect of improved sleep quality on the reduction of pain levels in long-term hospitalizations
  6. The impact of post-admission follow-up care and readmission rates
  7. Comparative analysis of the effectiveness of automatic and manual glucose level monitoring
  8. Quantifying the effect of nurse-patient relationships on medical outcomes of long-term hospitalizations
  9. Assessing the rate of infectious disease spread in hospital wards
  10. The correlation between the nurse-to-patient ratio and burnout among nursing staff
  11. The influence of nurse-led structured discharge education on 30-day readmission rates
  12. The correlation between patient health literacy and post-discharge medication adherence
  13. The effect of nurse-led smoking counseling on six-month quit rates
  14. The relationship between nursing staff overtime hours and patient record error rates
  15. The impact of nurses’ de-escalation training on the number of workplace violence incidents
  16. Comparative analysis of different pain management protocols relative to postoperative pain scores
  17. The correlation between patient satisfaction scores and nursing staff burnout rates
  18. The impact of nurses’ employment duration on the number of medication errors committed
  19. The relationship between nurse-led fall prevention training and the number of fracture-related readmissions
  20. The effectiveness of mindfulness programs for reducing nurses’ stress levels and burnout

Pediatric Nursing Research Topics

Despite the slowing birth rates, pediatric nursing research ideas remain ever important. Successful nursing and medical interventions in early childhood can create a strong foundation for lifelong health. Here’s our short list of research topics in pediatric nursing to spur your creativity and smash through the writer’s block:

  1. Nursing interventions for promoting oral hygiene in young patients
  2. Reducing the number of pediatric readmissions through family education programs
  3. The effectiveness of support groups for parents of children with chronic conditions
  4. Comparing pain recognition methodologies for newborn patients
  5. Mental health support in pediatric palliative care
  6. Developing nurse-patient relationships to improve patient satisfaction rates
  7. Comparing telehealth nursing interventions with on-site nursing support
  8. The relationship between pediatric nurse burnout and patient outcomes
  9. The effectiveness of simulation training for pediatric wards
  10. The prevalence of medication errors in pediatric wards
  11. Nurse-led asthma intervention planning for young children
  12. Reducing postoperative anxiety and delirium in preschool children
  13. The impact of nurse-guided feeding schedule on weight gain among preterm infants
  14. The relationship between speech delay and bottle-to-cup transition in infants
  15. Implementing early developmental screening for early intervention for toddlers

Critical Care Nursing Research Topics

Critical care is among the most intense but infinitely rewarding fields in medicine, but it requires in-depth knowledge across many nursing education research topics and solid hands-on skills. Check out our list of relevant research topics in critical care nursing, and remember, you can always get help on your next assignment if you’re short on time and want to focus on other tasks:

  1. Balancing sedation and pain management medication for ICU patients
  2. Developing training simulations for nurses to improve the cardiac arrest response success rate
  3. Environmental factors affecting sleep quality for patients in critical care units
  4. The relationship between patient involvement in ICU decision-making and patient satisfaction rates
  5. Developing an early recognition system for sepsis symptoms in critical care units
  6. The impact of nurse-to-patient ratios on the nursing care error rates in the ICU
  7. A comparative analysis of pressure ulcer prevention techniques
  8. The effect of early mobility on recovery rates among ICU patients
  9. Educational programs for family members of the critical care patients
  10. The impact of nurses’ burnout on the recovery time and patient outcomes in the ICU

Mental Health Nursing Research Topics

Whether you’re planning to work with psychiatric patients or are curious about addressing your own mental health issues, there are plenty of relevant nursing topics to choose from. We’ve created a short list of research topics for nursing students dealing with the most common mental health disorders, but you can always adjust and tweak them to suit your interests:

  1. Developing a program for preventing self-harm in adolescents
  2. Effective nursing intervention techniques for substance abuse patients
  3. Comparing the effectiveness of medicated and non-medicated interventions for mental health patients 
  4. Implementing music and art therapy as supplemental mental health support interventions
  5. Evaluating the efficacy of anxiety and panic attack management nursing techniques
  6. Nurse-led education programs for family members of mental health patients
  7. Recognizing and mitigating the first signs of patient violence in psychiatric wards
  8. Suicide risk recognition and prevention in mental health settings
  9. The role of a nurse in supporting and treating patients with eating disorders
  10. A review of non-medicated interventions for patients with post-traumatic stress disorder

And if you’re on a psychology track, check out our list of clinical psychology topics.

Oncology Nursing Research Topics

Given the prevalence of oncology issues and the importance of ongoing cancer research, oncology research topics in nursing remain relevant. Whether or not you plan to join an oncology ward, choosing one of the nursing research paper topics on our list will give you a better understanding of the current insights and treatment options, as well as side effects. This experience will be particularly helpful if you’re struggling with the PICOT writing.

  1. Equity of access to oncology nursing services across low-income communities
  2. The impact of nurse-moderated oncology support groups on social media
  3. Oncology medical history analysis for predicting the need for nurse-led follow-up
  4. Evaluation of telehealth palliative nursing services for advanced cancer patients
  5. Integrating radiology and pathology reports into oncology nursing workflows
  6. The impact of nurse-led patient education on chemotherapy understanding and adherence
  7. Reducing procedure-related anxiety in pediatric oncology patients
  8. The effectiveness of nursing interventions for managing oncology treatment side effects
  9. Predicting chemotherapy toxicity and developing side effect management strategies
  10. Nurse-led cancer-related fatigue management for ambulatory oncology patients

Emergency Nursing Research Topics

The emergency department is one of the most stressful for nurses and doctors, but it’s also a source of endless interesting nursing research topics based on real-world problems and applications. If that’s exactly the reason that brought you to nursing school, check out our short list of research topics in nursing for ER:

  1. Evaluating nurse preparedness for disaster response with mass casualty
  2. Assessing triage consistency and safety among the nursing staff
  3. The impact of language barriers on emergency care quality and patient satisfaction
  4. The relationship between ER crowding and triage accuracy and patient outcomes
  5. Reducing waiting times and improving patient flow in emergency departments
  6. Correlation between ER staffing level, skill mix, and emergency care quality indicators
  7. The nurses’ role in discharge instruction adherence by ER patients
  8. Effective communication strategies for underage patients in emergency departments
  9. Assessing ER nurses’ decision-making in time-sensitive situations
  10. Screening patients for substance abuse in emergency departments

Nursing Research Topics in Medical Surgical Nursing

You don’t have to work in an operating room to be interested in surgical nursing topics. Preparing patients for anesthesia and supporting their recovery are equally important to treatment outcomes. If that sounds exciting, consider these topics for nursing research dealing with post-op nursing interventions:

  1. Preventing post-surgery pneumonia and other complications
  2. The relationship between post-op sleep quality and patient recovery rates
  3. Analyzing effective pain-management interventions after surgery
  4. Nurse-led infection prevention among post-surgery patients
  5. Comparative analysis of nurse-led interventions for shortening post-op treatment
  6. The relationship between early ambulation and surgery outcomes
  7. Recognizing early signs of infection among patients post-surgery
  8. Practice-based surgery site management protocols
  9. Personalized post-op nursing approaches for patients with diabetes mellitus
  10. Oncology patients' rehabilitation approaches after surgery

Cardiovascular Nursing Research Topics

Heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems are more prevalent as our daily lives become more stressful. So, there’s always room for cardiovascular nursing research topics, like the ones you’ll see below. By the way, if you’re working toward your capstone or thesis, most of these topics will also work for a nursing research proposal.

  1. Nurse-led rehabilitation for long-term lifestyle adherence after myocardial infarction
  2. Addressing anxiety and depression in patients with high cardiovascular failure risk
  3. The effect of nurse-led hypertension training on blood pressure control
  4. Recognizing gender differences in cardiovascular symptoms
  5. Educational programs for family members of patients with heart failure
  6. Nursing interventions to improve sleep quality in heart failure patients
  7. Addressing the cultural and spiritual needs of heart transplant patients
  8. The impact of cardiovascular disease prevention delivered by school nurses
  9. Implementing palliative care interventions for advanced heart failure patients
  10. Life-sustaining therapy and its ethical implications for cardiovascular nurses

Neonatal Nursing Research Topics

If you’re a firm believer that community health stems from women’s health and stable birth rates, you should definitely consider neonatal research. While none of the ideas on this list are as glamorous or sought-after as nutrition topics, they are all the more important. Pick any that catches your eye, or contact our experts for more ideas.

  1. Reducing neonatal hypothermia throughout postnatal newborn stabilization
  2. Non-pharmacological pain management methods for neonatal procedures
  3. The impact of parental participation on neonates’ treatment outcomes
  4. The relationship between nurse-led breastfeeding support and breastfeeding rates at discharge
  5. The effect of family-centered nursing care practices on NICU parental stress
  6. Promoting nurse-led mother-infant bonding through skin-to-skin contact 
  7. Nurse-led interventions for promoting safe sleep practices for newborns
  8. Implementing coping strategies for nurses caring for critically ill neonates
  9. Pre-discharge training for preterm infants’ parents
  10. Preventive interventions for neonatal infections in the ICU

Geriatric Nursing Research Topics

Extended life expectancy results in an aging population globally and drives the need for medical professionals familiar with the unique needs of geriatrics. So, if you’re planning a career in caring for the elderly, one of the nursing research topics for students below should catch your eye. Remember that you’re free to use any of our ideas as-is or tweak and adjust them to fit your interests.

  1. The role of nursing interventions in preventing falls in patients post-discharge
  2. The impact of a healthy diet on active aging
  3. The relationship between perceived loneliness and healthcare outcomes
  4. Balancing pain management medication to prevent overdosing in older patients
  5. Developing cognitive stimulation programs for aging patients to mitigate mental decline
  6. Assessing and improving prescription adherence among elderly patients
  7. Low-impact physical activity programs for improving bone density and balance among older patients
  8. Community education programs for recognizing and managing early dementia
  9. Recognizing early signs of elder abuse in emergency departments
  10. Comparative effectiveness of telehealth nursing interventions for elderly patients
  11. The effect of nurse-led nutrition education on geriatric patients’ weight loss
  12. Comparing the effectiveness of pressure injury prevention bundles in chair-bound and bed-bound patients
  13. The impact of nurse-delivered depression screening on elderly patients’ mental health
  14. Personalized sleep interventions for reducing insomnia in long-term care residents
  15. Reducing incontinence episodes through nurse-delivered pelvic floor exercises
  16. Implementing delirium prevention protocols for elderly surgical patients
  17. The impact of balance-focused exercises on the number of fall-related fractures among older patients
  18. Implementing family education programs for improving care plan adherence for elders with dementia
  19. Preventing medication overdoses in elderly patients receiving care at different institutions
  20. The value of advance care planning on elderly patient healthcare outcomes

Easy Nursing Research Topics

What if you’re in no state to deal with complex research topics for nursing? You can always recycle one of your past papers or look for inspiration in our samples database. But you can also opt for an easy solution. On our list of research topics for nursing students that don’t require much work, you’ll find well-researched ideas. So, you’ll need minimal input to complete a paper for a passing grade: 

  1. Nursing best practices for patients with chronic pain
  2. The role of a nurse in promoting a healthy lifestyle among patients and the community
  3. The effectiveness of nursing documentation digitization and its impact on patient outcomes
  4. The relationship between nurses’ cultural competence and patient satisfaction rate
  5. Analyzing the effect of telehealth on nursing interventions in pediatric and geriatric wards
  6. Comparative analysis of the effective infection prevention protocols during hospital stays
  7. The impact of nurse-to-patient ratio on intervention effectiveness and patient outcomes
  8. Implementing improved patient safety protocols to improve healthcare service quality
  9. Maintaining professional boundaries between nurses and patients in palliative care wards
  10. Nurse-led opioid weaning methods for patients with chronic pain

Hopefully, this extensive list of nursing topics for research helps you find what you’re looking for. We’ve created it with nursing students in mind, but high school and college students can also use it for inspiration. And as ever, we’re here to help you at any stage of the writing process.