Valuing Research in Clinical Practice: A Basis for Developing a Strategic Plan for Nursing Research

Abstract

With a view to developing a strategic plan for nursing research in a clinical practice setting, a survey was conducted to examine nurses' attitudes towards research as a part of their work. The 348 nurse respondents represented various nursing roles: staff nurses, head nurses, clinical nurse specialists, nurse educators, hospice nurses, expanded-role nurses, and an enterostomal therapist. They were classified into two groups, staff nurses and leadership nurses. The subjects reported that they valued research highly and that they believed the nursing division was supportive of research activities. Few were actually involved in conducting research; the nurses reported a lack of confidence in their ability to participate in designing and conducting studies. Most staff nurses were not using research in their work, while the majority of leadership nurses were. Factors that explain both research use by nurses and their participation in designing and conducting research differed for the two groups.