Chapter 1

Introduction to Nursing Research and

Evidence-Based Practice

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 Introduction to the Course
 Introduction of class members
 Review of syllabus
 Presentation of class schedule
 Questions

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 Class Discussion Questions
 What was your reaction when you learned
you were required to take a research course?

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Class Discussion Questions (cont’d)
 What is the value of a research course to
you as a nurse?

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 What Is Research?
 To search again
 To examine carefully
 Diligent and systematic inquiry
 Discovery
 Goal is to develop an empirical body of
knowledge for a discipline

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 Definition of Nursing Research
 A scientific process that validates and refines
existing knowledge and generates new
knowledge that directly and indirectly
influences nursing practice.
 It is the key to building an evidence-based
practice for nursing.

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 Using Research in Practice
 Synthesis of knowledge (research, theory,
and clinical experiences)
 Effect of philosophy
 Making a change in practice
 Evaluation of change for patient, provider,
and health care system

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 Integrative Review of Research
 Critique of studies on a selected topic or
practice problem
 Development of evidence-based practice
guidelines:
 Example: safe administration of intramuscular
injections
• Summarize the findings.
• Draw conclusions about what is known or not known
about the topic.

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Evidence-Based Practice Guidelines
 Conscientious integration of best research
evidence with clinical expertise and patient
values and needs in the delivery of high-
quality, cost-effective health care
 Synthesis of knowledge for development of
guidelines, standards, protocols, or policies to
direct nursing interventions and practice

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 Why Is Research Important for
Evidence-Based Practice?
 Develops empirical knowledge base
 Identifies best practices that are based on
clinical practices
 Improves outcomes for:
 Patient and family
 Nurse
 Health care system

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 Nursing Research Provides:
 Description
 Explanation
 Prediction
 Control

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 Description
 Identifying and understanding the nature of
nursing phenomena and the relationships
among the phenomena to:
 Describe what exists in nursing practice.
 Discover new information.
 Promote understanding of situations.
 Classify information for use in the discipline.

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 Explanation
 Clarifying the relationships among
phenomena and identifying the reasons why
certain events occur

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 Prediction
 Estimating and anticipating the outcomes in a
particular situation

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 Control
 Manipulating a situation so as to achieve a
particular outcome

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Research Participation at Various
Levels of Educational Preparation

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 BSN Researcher Role
 Identify research problems.
 Assist with data collection.
 Critique research studies.
 Summarize research findings for use in
practice.

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 Class Discussion Question
 Why should nurses be excellent consumers
of research?

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 History of Nursing Research
 Nursing research has evolved slowly over the
years.
 Nursing research began in the 19th century
with Florence Nightingale.
 Clinical research is the current major focus of
nursing research and will continue to be so
throughout the 21st century.

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 Florence Nightingale
 Nightingale focused on the importance of a
healthy environment for patients.
 Aspects of her research included:
 Ventilation
 Cleanliness
 Purity of water
 Healthy diet

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 Nursing Research: 1900–1940s
 American Journal of Nursing first published in
1900.
 Case studies reported in the 1920s and
1930s.
 Graduate programs in nursing began in the
1920s.
 Research conducted by nurses in the 1940s.

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 Nursing Research: 1950s
 1950—American Nurses Association begins
5-year study of nursing functions and
activities.
 1952—Nursing Research published
 BSN and MS nursing programs add research
to their curricula.
 1953—Institute for Research and Service in
Nursing Education established by Teacher’s
College, Columbia University.

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 Nursing Research: 1960s
 1963—International Journal of Nursing
Studies
 1967—Image published by Sigma Theta Tau
(now titled The Journal of Nursing
Scholarship)

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 Nursing Research: 1970s
 1970—ANA Commission on Nursing
Research
 1972—Council of Nurse Researchers
 1978—Advances in Nursing Science
 1978—Research in Nursing and Health
 1979—Western Journal of Nursing Research

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 Nursing Research: 1980s
 1982–1983—Conduct and Utilization of
Research in Nursing project (CURN)
 1983—Annual Review of Nursing Research
 1985—National Center for Nursing Research
(NCNR)
 1987—Scholarly Inquiry for Nursing Practice
 1988—Applied Nursing Research and
Nursing Science Quarterly
 1989—Agency for Health Care Policy and
Research (AHCPR)
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 Nursing Research: 1990s
 1992—Clinical Nursing Research
 1993—National Institute of Nursing Research
(NINR)
 1993—Journal of Nursing Measurement
 1994—Qualitative Health Research
 AHCPR renamed Agency for Healthcare
Research and Quality (AHRQ).
 1999—AACN position statement on nursing
research

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 Nursing Research: 21st Century
 2000—Healthy People 2010
 2000—Biological Research for Nursing
 2002—Joint Commission revised policies to
support evidence-based care.
 2004—Worldviews on Evidence-Based
Nursing

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 21st Century
 2005—AHRQ guidelines and priorities
 www.ahrq.gov
 2005—NINR priorities
 www.nih.gov/nin
 2006—Revised AACN position statements on
nursing research

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 Ways of Acquiring Knowledge
in Nursing
 Traditions  Personal
 Authority experience
 Borrowing  Role modeling
 Trial and error  Intuition
 Reasoning

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 Practice Knowledge Base
 Identify two common behaviors used in your
practice.
 Indicate the knowledge base for these
behaviors.
 Is your practice based mainly on research or
on other types of knowledge?

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 Nursing Research Methods
 Quantitative research
 Qualitative research
 Outcomes research

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 Quantitative Research Methods
 Descriptive research
 Correlational research
 Quasi-experimental research
 Experimental research

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Quantitative Research Characteristics
 Philosophical origin: logical positivism
 Focus: concise, objective, reductionistic
 Reasoning: logistic, deductive
 Basis of knowing: cause-and-effect
relationships
 Theoretical focus: tests theory

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 Qualitative Research Methods
 Phenomenological research
 Ground theory research
 Ethnographic research
 Historical research
 Focus groups

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Qualitative Research Characteristics
 Philosophical origin: naturalistic, interpretive,
humanistic
 Focus: broad, subjective, holistic
 Reasoning: dialectic, inductive
 Basis of knowing: meaning, discovery,
understanding
 Theoretical focus: theory development

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 Outcomes Research
 Focus of outcomes:
 Patients and families
 Providers (nurses, physicians)
 Health care systems
 Outcomes used change practice and develop
policy.

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