Problematic situations comprise a significant proportion of nurse administrators' practice. Reflective inquiry is recommended as a method for identifying the problem and its solution. This approach is consistent with pragmatic philosophy which recognizes the fallacy of basing one's action on an a priori conclusion. Dewey's elements of reflective inquiry are used as the framework to analyse its relevance to administrative practice. Emphasis is placed on the importance of using empirical observations and thoughts in a serial back and forth process to discover the problem and its solution. The problems associated with non-empirical inquiry are examined. Reflective inquiry provides a directed rather than a haphazard approach to effective and efficient administrative practice.

Despite differences between countries, people's health needs are similar, as are nursing problems and issues Collaborative nursing research is needed to identify similarities and differences among countries Visiting researcher(s), however, must understand the host country's culture and traditions to avert exploitation and misunderstanding Collaborative research should enhance nursing in each country The authors describe a replication study, in a Japanese hospital, of nursing administration research previously conducted in the United States, which compared the type of head nurse response staff nurses (n = 126) would prefer in a problem situation with what they perceived their head nurse would use Included are (a) a discussion of the need for research with attention to selecting a culturally compatible theory, (b) the history of the visiting and host researcher's relationship, (c) gaining approval to conduct the study, (d) a discussion of all aspects of the research methodology with special attention to reliability and validity in instrument translation, (e) a description of what occurred in Japan prior to and after data collections, and (f) elaboration of the problems and benefits of collaborative international research Data comparison of the two studies indicated marked similarities between the staff nurses in these two countries

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Using a 62-item, investigator-developed mailed questionnaire, this descriptive study of 350 randomly selected staff nurses sought to identify variations in practices in the care of patients with nasogastric tubes (NGT). Reported here are the results from the 35 questionnaire items related to NGT feedings and medication administration. Wide variations were found in the amount of gastric residual considered "excessive," as well as in whether the entire residual was returned to the stomach. A large percentage of the nurses relied on physicians' orders for gavage feeding rate, giving additional water, and using the liquid form of a medication. Data indicate that published nursing research is not consistently used in practice, which represents a theory-practice gap. In addition, a theory-practice deficit in several areas related to NGT feedings points to the need for further research.