Paper
Wednesday, July 21, 2004
Knowledge About and Use of Research as a Basis for Practice
Shannon Perry, RN, PhD, FAAN, School of Nursing, School of Nursing, Retired from San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA, USA
| Learning Objective #1: Describe the use of and interest in research of practicing nurses |
| Learning Objective #2: Describe practicing nurses' knowledge of research methods and research critique |
Objective: To determine the extent to which practicing nurses have the academic preparation and knowledge to access and use scientific evidence to form a basis for their practice. Population: Actively practicing staff nurses. Sample: Eighty-nine nurses completed surveys. Nine of the surveys had missing information leaving a final sample of 80. Years: Data were collected in 2002-2003. Method: A convenient sample of registered nurses attending continuing education programs was surveyed using a researcher-designed instrument. Findings: Forty-six (57.5 %) of the participants had taken a research course. Sixty (75 %) have read a research report and used the findings in practice, 51 (63.7 %) have tried to convince others to use research findings, and 47 (58.8 %) have served on a committee to create or update a protocol. On a scale of 1 to 10, participants rated interest in research with a mean of 7.1, knowledge of research methods/techniques as 5.26, knowledge of how to critique research as 4.92, but desire to learn more about research as 7.04. Conclusions: For nurses to practice using an evidence base, they must access information and know how to use it. While 2/3 of these nurses regularly read nursing journals, virtually all have access to the internet where information can be obtained. For those nurses who indicate limited knowledge of research and critique, inservice or continuing education may bridge the gap. Implications: Since the majority of participants indicated interest in learning more about research; educators could take advantage of this and plan programs accordingly.
Back to Improving Nursing Practice Through Evidence
Back to Evidence-Based Nursing: Strategies for Improving Practice
Sigma Theta Tau International
July 21, 2004