Promoting Nursing Research in the Clinical Setting

Changing nurses' pain assessment practice: a collaborative research utilization approach*

“…In response to the need to improve the ublization of research findmgs by nurses at the orgamzabonal level, two major projects were mibated m the 1970s The first was the Westem Interstate Commission for Higher Educabon (WICHE) Regional Program for Nursing Research Development (Krueger ef al 1978) Begun m 1971, the project attempted to teach change theory and research ublizabon to nurses from vanous clinical sites m a workshop format In 1975, under the direcbon of the Michigan Nurses Associabon, the Conduct and Ublizabon of Research m Nursing (CURN) project was mibated Its goals were to banslate research outcomes mto clinical knowledge that could then be used m pracbce, and to assist pracbsing nurses to use this knowledge in their pabent care The CURN project's emphasis was on the facilitabon of orgamzational changes necessary for effecbve research utilizabon (Horsley & Crane 1983) In 1978 a research ublizabon project based on the CURN guidelines was estabhshed at community hospitals m Indianapohs (Horsley et al 1978) It identified six phases to the process which were adapted for the coUaborabve research ublizabon model tested in this study There is no mdicabon m the literature about the outcomes of this project m terms of actual changes in nursing pracbce or how these changes m pracbce affected pabent outcomes if they occurred CoUaborabve attempts by nurses m academy and pracbce to create the orgamzabons emd structures that support research development and ublizabon is a relabvely new concept The earliest descnpbons date back to 1971 with the Westem Council for Higher Educabon m Nursing (Krueger et al 1978) Most models are one of three types pracbce-based, academic-based, and the pure coUaborabve-based In the agency-based model, as descnbed m the literature by Davis (1981), research is viewed as a means of seeking answers to specific quesbons or problems withm the msbtubon, without considerabon to generalizability of the findings havmg an impact beyond that setbng Besides this limitabon, memy staff nurses lack the competency needed to evaluate the relevemcy of research, to design research-based pracbce mnovabons and to make mformed decisions regeirdmg clmical trials…”

Staff nurses' attitudes toward nursing research: a descriptive survey

“…Many other factors have been identified which affect clinical nurses' acceptance and inclusion of the research process into their practice. Some authors (Chaska 1978, Spector & Bleeks 1980, Boothe 1981, Bowie 1981, Davis 1981, Reeder 1983) identified attitudes of nurses as being one of the most important. Rettig (1980) specifically found 'one of the most detrimental attitudes about nursing research stems from the belief that the "good nurse" is the bedside nurse'.…”

Nurses and physicians must interact for valid clinical research

“…The patient loses the ability to think and make decisions. Other professionals need to seek the permission of the physician to contact the patient (Davis, 1981;Noble, 1980).…”