Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
evaluate the impact of making use of validated research A number of studies have identified the main barriers
findings to inform their practice (French 1996). The import- reported by nurses and midwives as preventing them from
ance of research education in helping clinicians to translate making more use of research findings to inform their practice.
research findings in practice has been emphasized for a number These include inadequate time to read, interpret and imple-
of years (Brett 1987, Ehrenfield & Eckerlings 1991, Perkins ment research findings (Bostrom et al. 1989, Lacey 1994,
1992, Closs & Cheater 1994, Michel & Sneed 1995, Walsh Pettengill et al. 1994, Walczak et al. 1994, Funk et al. 1995,
1997, Rodgers 2000), but the effectiveness of educational Veeramah 1995, Kajermo et al. 1998, Sitzia 2001); lack of the
interventions to foster a change towards the greater use of skills needed to access, understand, evaluate and implement
research findings in practice remains unknown (Mulhall et al. research findings (Funk et al. 1991, 1995, Walczak et al. 1994,
2000). Although research methods have been introduced in Pearcey 1995, Veeramah 1995, Walsh 1997, Sitzia 2001);
current nursing and midwifery curricula in the UK (Hundley relevant research findings being unavailable in the workplace
et al. 2000), many nurses and midwives still find research (Funk et al. 1991, 1995, Walczak et al. 1994, Veeramah 1995,
incomprehensible, irrelevant to their practice and are poorly Retsas 2000); and lack of support from the organization and
prepared by their education to make use of it (Hicks 1994, other practitioners, as well as lack of autonomy and authority
Blanchard 1996, Meah et al. 1996). This suggests that there is to change practice (Bostrom et al. 1989, Funk et al. 1991,
a pressing need for evaluation of the effectiveness of the 1995, Lacey 1994, Pettengill et al. 1994, Veeramah 1995,
research education being provided in health-related undergra- Retsas 2000, Parahoo & McCaughan 2001, Sitzia 2001).
duate programmes in the UK. This is to ensure that health care Research findings are perceived as difficult to read and lacking
professionals, and in particular, nurses and midwives, are clarity about their significance in practice (Funk et al. 1991,
being equipped with the necessary appraisal skills to enable 1995, Lacey 1994, Brown 1995, Veeramah 1995, Blanchard
them to use research findings in practice. Hicks and Hennessy 1996, Meah et al. 1996). Shortage of colleagues with the
(1999) maintain that, in order to practise evidence-based expertise to discuss research (Funk et al. 1991, 1995, Caroll
health care, a basic understanding of research methodology et al. 1997, Kajermo et al. 1998, 2000) and several aspects of
and its application to the critical evaluation of published nursing (and midwifery) culture, such as ritualistic care and no
research and thence to professional practice is required. incentives to develop research-based practice (Sitzia 2001),
A number of studies have indicated that there is an have also been found to contribute to this state of affairs.
association between research education and the use of Overall, the literature indicates that research education and
research findings in practice (Ehrenfield & Eckerlings 1991, attitudes towards research are two of the main factors that
Michel & Sneed 1995, Walsh 1997, Rodgers 2000), but this may be related to the utilization of research findings in
evidence is inconclusive. For example, Brett (1987) and practice. However, the empirical evidence is still fairly limited
Ehrenfield and Eckerlings (1991) found that nurses with and inconclusive, with most coming from outside the UK.
university degrees were more likely to use research findings in The majority of these studies are small-scale and the
practice, whereas Champion and Leach (1989), Coyle and unrepresentative samples make generalization of findings
Sokop (1991) and Varcoe and Hilton (1995) failed to find difficult (Cullum 1996). The relevance and applicability of
any significant relationship between these two variables. these findings to nursing and midwifery care in the UK must
Another factor that has been identified as having a major be considered carefully because of the differences in health
influence on research utilization is a positive attitude towards care systems and professional cultures of the countries in
research (Champion & Leach 1989, Hicks 1993, Lacey which the studies were carried out.
1994), but again the evidence is not clear-cut. For example, a
number of studies have found that, although the majority of
The study
respondents expressed very positive attitudes towards
research, they reported minimal use of research findings in
Aim
practice (Veeramah 1995, Wright et al. 1996, Parahoo 1998,
Bjorkstrom & Hamrin 2001). Furthermore, a link between The aim of the study was to answer the following questions:
developing positive attitudes towards research and the 1 Is there an association between research education and the
amount of research education received was also discovered use of research findings in nursing and midwifery practice?
(Cole 1995, Pond & Bradshaw 1996, Dyson 1997, Hitchcock 2 Is there an association between research education and
& Murphy 1999), but again the evidence was far from attitudes towards research?
conclusive. Chenitz et al. (1986) and McSherry (1997) did 3 Is there an association between attitudes towards research
not find any association between these two variables. and research utilization in nursing and midwifery practice?
184 2004 Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Journal of Advanced Nursing, 47(2), 183–191
Issues and innovations in nursing practice Utilization of research findings
4 What strategies could facilitate the use of research findings establish its internal consistency, Cronbach’s alpha coeffi-
in nursing and midwifery practice? cients of the two subscales measuring research knowledge
(items 5–11) and attitudes toward research (items 14–20)
were calculated. These were 0Æ80 and 0Æ83 respectively,
Design
indicating that the subscales were highly reliable. The survey
A cross-sectional survey was used with a convenience sample was started in March 2002 and completed in August 2002.
of graduates from one university in the South East of England
in the period between March and August 2002.
Ethical considerations
Data collection
Data analysis
A postal questionnaire was used to collect the data. This was
developed following a review of published literature on Quantitative data were analysed using the Statistical Package
attitudes towards research, research utilization in practice for Social Sciences (version 10, SPSS UK Ltd, Surrey,
and barriers to research implementation. The questionnaire England). Descriptive statistics were used to analyse data
was divided into several sections: section 1 asked for on: academic and professional profile; research knowledge
information on the academic and professional profiles of following graduation, utilization of research; attitudes to-
respondents (four items); section 2 consisted of seven wards research; barriers to research utilization. Mean, stand-
statements related to research knowledge (seven items); ard deviation, minimum and maximum values were computed
section 3 included two items on utilization of research for the number of years respondents had been practising in
findings in clinical practice. Section 4 contained statements various specialities. Spearman’s rank order correlation coef-
on attitudes towards research (seven items). These items were ficient was also calculated to test the relationship between
derived mainly from questionnaires used in studies by the research education and attitudes towards research; research
National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting education and research utilization in practice; and attitudes
for Northern Ireland (1990) and Parahoo et al. (2000). towards research and research utilization. Statistical compar-
Section 5 was a checklist consisting of 13 statements of the isons of groups were carried out to establish whether there
barriers that might hinder respondents from making more use were significant differences between respondents’ clinical
of research findings in their practice. Some of these state- grades and their use of research findings in practice, measured
ments were taken from the Funk et al. (1991) Barriers to on a four-point Likert-scale. As there were more than two
Research Utilization Scale. Section 6 included two open- groups (see Table 3) and the data on use of research findings
ended questions asking respondents to suggest strategies for were ordinal, the Kruskal–Wallis test was used. P-values of
making care delivery more evidence-based and to identify £0Æ05 on two-tailed test were considered as statistically
their future educational needs related to the study topic. significant. Qualitative responses from the two open-ended
To enhance reliability, face and content validity of the questions were content analysed and categories established.
questionnaire, it was reviewed by a panel of five nurse or
midwifery teachers who had considerable expertise in
Results
research methods and had been teaching the subject and
supervising research projects at both undergraduate and
Academic and professional profile
postgraduate levels for a number of years. It was also piloted
with 12 graduates similar to the intended sample. Minor The number of respondents was 184 (of 340), giving a
changes in wording were made as a result. In an attempt to response rate of 51Æ1%. The breakdown in terms of degree
2004 Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Journal of Advanced Nursing, 47(2), 183–191 185
V. Veeramah
programmes completed and specialities practised at the time Hennessy 1999). For example, junior staff nurses are graded
of the study is given in Tables 1 and 2. The largest group of ‘D’; senior staff nurses are graded ‘E’; junior and senior
respondents (78 of 184) undertook the BSc honours degree charge nurses are graded ‘F’ and ‘G’ respectively; and senior
programme in Professional Practice in Nursing and the main nurse or midwifery managers are graded ‘H’ or ‘I’. The main
speciality was general nursing (70 of 78). The latter incor- finding was that 63% (116) of respondents (grades ‘G’, ‘H’
porates several sub-specialities and numbers were too small and ‘I’) occupied fairly senior positions with varying degree
to make further breakdown possible. of managerial responsibilities, autonomy and authority.
The mean number of years respondents had been practising
in these specialities was 2Æ7 years, with a standard deviation
Research knowledge following graduation
of 1Æ6 and a range of 1–12 years. The distribution of their
clinical grades is shown in Table 3. The clinical grading Respondents were asked to indicate their perception of how
system currently operating within the National Health much research knowledge they had gained during their
Service in the UK uses higher alphabetic grades for those education programme and their responses are shown in
with greater seniority and levels of responsibility (Hicks & Table 4. Notably, 96% of respondents stated that the degree
had provided them with the necessary knowledge and skills
to appraise research to some or a large extent. Similarly, 92%
Table 1 Degree programmes completed by respondents
and 90% respectively felt more confident in their ability to
Degree programmes n % use research findings in practice and in discussing research
BSc (Hons) Professional practice – Nursing 78 42Æ4 with others to some or a large extent. However, a number of
BSc (Hons) Nursing studies (preregistration) 26 14Æ1 respondents still found inferential statistics difficult to inter-
BSc (Hons) Health studies 24 13Æ0 pret, in comparison with descriptive statistics and qualitative
BSc (Hons) Health 20 10Æ9 data analysis.
BSc (Hons) Community care 17 9Æ2
BSc (Hons) Professional practice – Midwifery 13 7Æ1
BSc (Hons) Midwifery studies (preregistration) 6 3Æ3 Utilization of research
Total 184 100Æ0
When asked about the extent to which they used research
findings to inform their practice, 16Æ8% (31) said ‘all the
Table 2 Current nursing/midwifery specialities of respondents time’, 50Æ5% (93) stated ‘frequently’ and 32Æ6% (60) said
‘sometimes’. None said ‘never’. They were also asked
Nursing and midwifery specialities n %
whether the extent to which they used research findings
General nursing (inpatient settings) 70 38Æ0 was mainly because of the research education received during
Health visiting 23 12Æ5
the programme. Thirteen per cent (24) said ‘to a large
Mental health nursing (community settings) 22 12Æ0
District nursing 18 9Æ8
degree’, 60Æ9% (112) stated ‘to some degree’, 14Æ1% (26)
Paediatric nursing 14 7Æ6 were not sure, 10Æ9% (20) said ‘to little degree’ and 1Æ1% (2)
Midwifery (hospital setting) 12 6Æ5 said not at all.
Mental health nursing (inpatient settings) 11 6Æ0
Midwifery (both hospital and community) 10 5Æ4
Learning disability nursing 4 2Æ2 Attitudes towards research
Total 184 100Æ0
In order to assess respondents’ attitudes towards research,
they were provided with a number of statements related to
attitudes to research, with responses measured on a five-point
Table 3 Clinical grades of respondents
Likert scale (see Table 5). Overall, respondents showed
Clinical grades n % positive attitudes towards research. For example, 96% and
‘D’ grade 16 8Æ7 89% respectively agreed or strongly agreed with the state-
‘E’ grade 23 12Æ5 ments ‘Research is relevant to the real day-to-day work in
‘F’ grade 29 15Æ8 nursing/midwifery’ and ‘Nursing/midwifery should become a
‘G’ grade 66 35Æ9 research-based profession’. This is supported further by
‘H’ grade 35 19Æ0
responses given to the negative statement ‘Research is only
‘I’ grade 15 8Æ2
relevant to nursing/midwifery education and not to nursing/
Total 184 100Æ0
midwifery practice’, with which 91% either disagreed or
186 2004 Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Journal of Advanced Nursing, 47(2), 183–191
Issues and innovations in nursing practice Utilization of research findings
Table 4 Responses of respondents to statements about research knowledge gained from their education programme (n ¼ 184)
Statements 4 3 2 1
The degree has provided me with the necessary knowledge and skills to appraise 93 (51%) 83 (45%) 7 (4%) 1 (1%)
research
The degree programme has improved my knowledge and skills to manually and 95 (52%) 65 (35%) 19 (10%) 5 (3%)
electronically search for studies
I feel more confident in my ability to use research findings in practice 104 (56%) 66 (36%) 12 (7%) 2 (1%)
I feel more confident in interpreting research findings using descriptive statistics 70 (38%) 90 (49%) 21 (11%) 3 (2%)
I feel more confident in interpreting research findings using inferential statistics 33 (18%) 95 (52%) 41 (22%) 15 (8%)
I feel more confident in interpreting the results of qualitative research studies 80 (43%) 79 (43%) 22 (12%) 3 (2%)
I feel more confident in discussing research with others 102 (55%) 65 (35%) 6 (3%) 11 (6%)
4 ¼ to a large extent, 3 ¼ to some extent, 2 ¼ to little extent, 1 ¼ not at all; percentages rounded to the nearest whole number.
Statement SA A NS D SD
Attitude towards research enhanced by the degree programme 57 (31%) 109 (59%) 10 (6%) 7 (4%) 1 (1%)
Research is relevant to the real day-to-day work in nursing and midwifery 77 (42%) 100 (54%) 4 (2%) 3 (2%) –
Nursing /midwifery should become a research-based profession 80 (44%) 83 (45%) 16 (9%) 4 (2%) 1 (1%)
Research often leads to real practical advances 57 (31%) 99 (54%) 21 (12%) 7 (4%) –
Research improves clinical practice and is essential for the development 80 (44%) 95 (52%) 9 (5%) – –
of the profession
Research expertise is of value to the nurse or midwife in clinical practice 68 (37%) 107 (58%) 8 (4%) 1 (1%) –
Research is only relevant to nursing/midwifery education and not to 1 (1%) 5 (3%) 10 (5%) 84 (46%) 84 (46%)
nursing/midwifery practice
SA, strongly agree; A, agree; NS, not sure; D, disagree, SD, strongly disagree; percentages rounded to the nearest whole number.
strongly disagreed. Interestingly, no respondents disagreed/ Table 6 Barriers identified by respondents hindering them from
strongly disagreed with the statement that ‘Research im- making more use of research findings in practice
proves clinical practice and is essential for the development of Barriers identified n %
the profession’. Also, 90% agreed or strongly agreed that
Lack of time to read research 134 72Æ8
their attitudes towards research had been enhanced by the
Limited access to relevant research findings 71 38Æ6
degree programme. Resistance to change or try new ideas by others 70 38Æ0
When asked about the extent to which the change of Statistical analyses are not understandable 68 37Æ0
attitudes towards research has contributed to their willing- Lack of relevant research findings 63 34Æ2
ness to use research findings in practice after taking the Research reports/articles are not readily available 58 31Æ5
Lack of autonomy and authority to change practice 57 31Æ0
degree programme, 26Æ6% (49) said to a large extent, 62%
Most team members not capable of appraising research 56 30Æ4
(114) to some extent, 3Æ3% (6) were not sure, 6% (11) stated Pressure to conform to ritualistic practices 51 27Æ7
to little extent and 2Æ2% (4) said not at all. Other team members are not supportive 49 26Æ6
The research is not reported clearly or readably 48 26Æ1
No co-operation from the multi-disciplinary team 36 20Æ7
Perception of barriers to research utilization Lack of managerial support 33 17Æ9
2004 Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Journal of Advanced Nursing, 47(2), 183–191 187
V. Veeramah
Table 7 Strategies suggested by respondents to make care delivery 52Æ6% by Parahoo 1999; 50% by Retsas 2000; and 50% by
more evidence-based (n ¼ 184) Clifford & Murray 2001). However, generalization of the
Strategies identified n % findings must be done with some caution.
Despite these limitations, it was encouraging to find that a
More access to research education 62 33Æ7
fairly large number of respondents felt more confident in
Make more time available to read research 59 32Æ1
Presentation and discussion of relevant research in the 54 29Æ3 their ability to use research findings in practice and more
clinical area comfortable to discuss research with others (see Table 4).
Access to the internet and databases at place of work 50 27Æ2 The most important findings were that the majority reported
Increase availability of research papers in practice area 32 17Æ4 that their critical appraisal and search skills had improved as
More support from managers 21 11Æ4
a result of having undertaken the degree programme, given
Employment of clinical research specialist to help staff 11 6Æ0
that these skills have been identified in the literature as being
crucial for the utilization of research findings (Goode et al.
1987, Armitage 1990, Closs & Cheater 1994). These skills
practitioners to make more use of research findings in are vital if practitioners are to benefit from the volume of
practice. The outcome is shown in Table 7. research information being generated through such agencies
as the National Institute of Clinical excellence (NICE) and
NHS Research & Development (R&D) programmes. How-
Future educational needs
ever, it was disappointing that one of the barriers identified
A second open-ended question asked about education in by 30% of respondents as preventing them from making
relation to research. When respondents were asked to identify more use of research findings in practice was that most team
any further research input they would like to have to enable members with whom they were working were not capable of
them to improve their use of research findings, 18% (33) appraising research. This seems to support the claim made
stated that they would like more help in implementing by Hundley et al. (2000) that, despite some progress as a
research findings in practice, 12Æ5% (23) said more input in result of the introduction of research methods into nursing
order to develop their critical appraisal skills further and and midwifery curricula, lack of critical appraisal skills
8Æ2% (15) said more input on searching the literature. remains a major barrier to research utilization in practice.
Statistically significant positive correlations were obtained There are still many practitioners who have not been
for research knowledge and attitudes towards research equipped with the appropriate knowledge and skills, and
(r ¼ 0Æ329, P < 0Æ01); research knowledge and research there is an urgent need for health care organizations to
utilization (r ¼ 0Æ424, P < 0Æ01) and attitudes towards implement educational programmes to enable these people
research and research utilization (r ¼ 0Æ464, P < 0Æ01). Also, to become meaningful consumers of research. This lack of
statistically significant differences were found for respon- critical appraisal skills on the part of other team members
dents’ clinical grades and research utilization in practice could also offer some explanation for the other barriers
(Kruskal–Wallis test: H ¼ 14Æ6, d.f. ¼ 7, P ¼ 0Æ02). The identified by respondents. They felt pressurized to conform
mean ranks for each grade were as follows: grade ‘D’ (67); to ritualistic practice, other team members were not
grade ‘E’ (92); grade ‘F’ (73); grade ‘G’ (104); grade ‘H’ (95) supportive, and there was resistance to change or trying
and grade ‘I’ (100). This suggests that there was a trend new ideas.
towards claims of greater use of research findings at higher Despite reporting an improvement in their critical skills in
grades. relation to research, a large number of respondents still found
understanding statistical analyses in research reports to be a
major inhibiting factor that prevented them from making
Discussion
more use of research findings (see Table 6). This gives some
First, it must be acknowledged that the data were based on cause for concern, given that this problem was repeatedly
self-reports, with the possibility that socially desirable highlighted in several studies more than 10 years ago (Funk
answers were given (Moser & Kalton 1993). Secondly, a et al. 1991) and has been identified in a number of studies
response rate of only 51% was obtained. However, this is since (Lacey 1994, Brown 1995, Funk et al. 1995, Veeramah
reasonable for a survey (Hicks & Hennessy 1999) and 1995, Blanchard 1996, Meah et al. 1996). It is obvious that
compares favourably with that in other studies using similar there is an urgent need for those responsible for providing
methods (for example, a response rate of only 29% was research education to nurses and midwives in the UK to
reported by Marsh & Brown 1992; 36% by McSherry 1997; address this problem. This view was further articulated by
188 2004 Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Journal of Advanced Nursing, 47(2), 183–191
Issues and innovations in nursing practice Utilization of research findings
Retsas (2000), who vehemently argued that the fact that importantly the findings demonstrated a statistically signifi-
statistics is constantly reported as difficult to understand cant relationship between this and the research education
suggests that an effort must be made to improve this aspect of received, again reflecting many of the findings from previous
research teaching in nursing and midwifery courses at both studies (Champion & Leach 1989, Harrison et al. 1991,
pre- and post-basic levels. Marsh & Brown 1992, Poster et al. 1992, Cole 1995, Pearcey
Another notable finding was that all respondents reported 1995, Pond & Bradshaw 1996, Dyson 1997). A positive
that they used research findings to quite a large extent to relationship was found between attitudes towards research
inform their practice (16Æ8% all the time, 50Æ5% frequently and research utilization in practice. This appears to validate
and 32Æ6% sometimes) and nearly 74% stated that this was the assertions by Champion and Leach (1989) and Lacey
mainly because of the research education received while on (1994) that the likely outcome of developing a positive
the degree programmes. attitude towards research should be its utilization in practice.
A positive correlation was found between research know- However, care is needed in interpreting these positive
ledge acquired on the degree programmes and utilization of attitudes. It is likely that some respondents expressed an
research findings, and this was statistically significant. This is attitude that reflected the publicity that evidence or research-
in agreement with the finding of a number of studies based practice is currently receiving in the professional
identifying a relationship between research education and literature. A number of studies have shown that having a
utilization of research (for example Lacey 1996, Miller 1996, positive attitude towards research does not necessarily mean
Brown 1997, Walsh 1997, Hundley et al. 2000, Kajermo that it will be translated into practice (Veeramah 1995,
et al. 2000, Rodgers 2000, Quinn 2001). McSherry 1997, Parahoo 1998).
The extent of research utilization was also found to be It is disappointing to see that the availability of relevant
associated with clinical grade. Nurses and midwives on research papers in clinical areas is still seen as a major
higher grades reported more use of research findings in stumbling block by a number of respondents. Overall, the
comparison with those on lower grades. One possible findings suggest that this picture has not changed a great deal
explanation is that those in more senior position have a over the years, despite the government initiatives mentioned
higher degree of autonomy and authority to change practice earlier. This issue has been highlighted by a number of
than junior staff. researchers (Funk et al. 1991, 1995, Hicks 1993, Walczak
The fact that time is said to be a major barrier to research et al. 1994, Veeramah 1995, Meah et al. 1996, Walshe &
utilization is a long-standing problem identified in a number Ham 1997).
of studies (Bostrom et al. 1989, Lacey 1994, Pettengill et al.
1994, Walczak et al. 1994, Funk et al. 1995, Veeramah 1995,
Conclusion
Kajermo et al. 1998, Sitzia 2001). In practice, practitioners
are pressed to use research findings to inform their practice Managers of health care organization need to consider the
without extra time being made available to them to read strategies suggested by respondents to increase the utilization
research papers, despite the fact that several authors have of research in clinical settings. These include more access to
argued that the utilization of research findings depends very the internet and electronic databases at places of work, more
much on time being made available for the reading and access to research education, presentation and discussion of
evaluation of research (Goode et al. 1987, Robinson 1987). relevant research papers in clinical areas, and the employ-
Competing demands on practitioners (Hundley et al. 2000) ment of clinical research specialists to help nurses and
and increased workloads (Welsh Office 1996) have been midwives implement research findings. There may never be
blamed for this state of affairs. Unless this problem is a better time in the UK for the nursing and midwifery
addressed at both an individual and an organizational level, professions to make care evidence-based, given the current
the concerted effort being made by the government to make favourable policy environment. What seems to be required is
research evidence available to health care professionals a concerted effort on the part of nurses and midwives to avail
through the NICE, NHS Research & Development pro- themselves of all the opportunities to make more use of the
grammes and the NHS Centre for Reviews and Dissemina- best and most up-to-date research evidence to inform
tion, and via electronic databases such as the Cochrane practice. However, this might necessitate that they read
Centre, will have very little impact. research papers outside of work time. It is very unlikely that
The majority of nurses and midwives who responded to the in the foreseeable future, they will be given extra time to do
survey expressed positive attitudes to research, and more so while on duty.
2004 Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Journal of Advanced Nursing, 47(2), 183–191 189
V. Veeramah
Caroll D.L., Greenwood R., Lynch K.E., Sullivan J.K., Ready C.H.
What is already known about this topic & Fitzmaurice J.B. (1997) Barriers and facilitators to the utili-
zation of nursing research. Clinical Nurse Specialist 11,
• Many nurses and midwives in the United Kingdom still
207–212.
find research incomprehensible and are poorly prepared Champion V. & Leach A. (1989) Variables related to research uti-
by their education to make use of it, despite the fact that lisation in nursing: an empirical investigation. Journal of Advanced
research methods have been taught in both nursing and Nursing 14, 705–710.
midwifery curricula at pre- and post-registration levels Chenitz W.C., Sater B. & Giefer K. (1986) Nurses’ attitude towards
research and the clinical environment. In Proceedings of the
for quite some time.
National Symposium of Nursing Research. Stanford University
• There is very limited empirical evidence on the effect- Press, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
iveness of research education provided through health- Clifford C. & Murray S. (2001) Pre- and post-test evaluation of a
related undergraduate programmes in the United project to facilitate research development in practice in a hospital
Kingdom. setting. Journal of Advanced Nursing 36, 685–695.
Closs S.J. & Cheater F.M. (1994) Utilization of nursing research:
culture, interest and support. Journal of Advanced Nursing 19,
What this paper adds 762–773.
Cole F.L. (1995) Implementation and evaluation of an undergraduate
• There is a positive relationship between research edu- research practicum. Journal of Professional Nursing 11, 154–
cation, attitudes towards research and research utiliza- 160.
tion in practice. Coyle L.A. & Sokop L.G. (1991) Innovation adoption among nurses.
Nursing Research 39, 176–180.
• An evaluation of the effectiveness of the research cour-
Cullum N. (1996) Review: networking for research dissemination.
ses included in several health-related undergraduate NT Research 1, 119.
programmes in promoting the use of research findings in Department of Health (1997) The New NHS: Modern, Dependable.
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• Strategies to increase the utilization of research findings Department of Health (1998) A First Class Service. Department of
in clinical practice. Health, Stationary Office, London.
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Ehrenfield M. & Eckerlings S. (1991) Perceptions and attitudes of
Acknowledgements registered nurses to research: a comparison with a previous study.
Journal of Advanced Nursing 169, 224–320.
I would like to thank all those who participated in this study, French B. (1996) Networking for research dissemination: collabor-
colleagues for thier support and more importantly, Mrs Sue ation between research education and practice. NT Research
Seamons for her ongoing help. 1, 113–118.
Funk S.G., Champagne M.T., Wiese R.A. & Tornquist E.M. (1991)
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