Question

Share your thoughts on the interrelationship of research and evidence-based practice.

Thinking about your nursing practice, do you see areas that could benefit from a research study, and what might be a research question?

Answer 1

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a research training program on clinicians’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to research and evidence-based practice (EBP)

Research confirms that patient outcomes improve when nurses practice in an evidence-based manner. Described as “a problem-solving approach to clinical care that incorporates the conscientious use of current best practice from well-designed studies, a clinician’s expertise, and patient values and preferences, evidence-based practice (EBP) has been shown to increase patient safety, improve clinical outcomes, reduce healthcare costs, and decrease variation in patient outcomes.The importance of EBP is substantiated; however, barriers to widespread use of current research evidence in nursing remain, including the fluency and knowledge level of clinical nurses.

Nurses have identified individual and organizational barriers to research utilization. Individual barriers include lack of knowledge about the research process and how to critique research studies, lack of awareness of research, colleagues not supportive of practice change, and nurses feeling a lack of authority to change practice.Organizational barriers identified include insufficient time to implement new ideas, lack of access to research, and lack of awareness of available educational tools related to research.

Research demonstrates that the most important factor related to nurses’ EBP is support from their employing organizations to use and conduct research.Other facilitators include the presence in the clinical setting of advanced practice nurses, research mentors, and educators knowledgeable about research, nursing research internships and designated nurse-researchers.In their BARRIERS scale studies, Funk and colleagues recommended strategies for reducing barriers to EBP, including employment of research role models, establishment of collegial relationships with academics, and participation in research interest groups. Similar strategies have been more recently highlighted in the context of the Magnet Recognition Program

There is, however, a notable lack of rigorous intervention studies focused on identifying organizational barriers to improve nurses’ engagement in EBP.Only one study focused on the implementation of Magnet standards in American hospitals that showed promise in diminishing the barriers to EBP. To address this gap, leaders at a tertiary healthcare organization implemented a point-of-care research training program, led by the organization’s nursing research facilitator, targeting nurses and other clinicians to reduce EBP barriers and to promote engagement in research (Job Description for Nursing Research Facilitator) .The program provided mentoring and funding for teams of novice researchers to conduct small-scale studies in their practice settings. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of the training program on clinicians’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to research and EBP.

Research helps nurses determine effective best practices and improve patient care. Nurses in an online RN to BSN program learn to retrieve, read, critique and apply nursing research. Because new information is always coming to light, it is crucial that BSN-prepared nurses know the importance of research. The findings from peer-reviewed studies can correct old misunderstandings, pave the way for new treatment protocols and create new methodology all of which improve patient outcomes.

Research also helps nursing respond to changes in the healthcare environment, patient populations and government regulations. As researchers make discoveries, the practice of nursing continues to change. The information students learn can become quickly outdated, so being able to keep up with new developments in nursing helps graduates in their careers.

Every nurse can benefit from knowing why nursing research is important, how research is conducted and how research informs patient care. Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) programs teach nurses to appreciate and use research in their everyday careers, compare findings and read published research.

A researcher spends a great deal of time refining a research idea into a testable research question. Unfortunately the evaluator of a research study is not privy to this creative process because it occurs during the studys conceptualization. Although this section will not teach how to formulate a research questions, it is important to provide a glimpse of what the process of developing a research question may be like for a researcher.

Research questions should indicate that practical experience, critical appraisal of the scientific literature or interest in an untested theory was the basis for the generation of a research idea.The research question should reflect a refinement of the researchers initial thinking. The evaluator of a research study should be able to discern that the researcher has done the

1. Defined a specific question area
2. Reviewed the relevant literature
3. Examined the questions potential significance to nursing
4. Pragmatically examined the feasibility of studying the research question