Nurse researchers advancing healthcare through evidence-based practice
Research training in nursing remains an ideal pathway for preparing aspiring investigators who are a part of the larger health sciences workforce. Through this training, study questions are raised from a nursing point of view, with the ultimate intent to provide information for guiding nursing practice, assessing the healthcare environment, enhancing patient outcomes and shaping health policies.
Like nursing research, evidence-based practice has also been recognized as being key to improving various aspects of healthcare. Although the core purpose of nursing research and evidence-based practice seem quite different, modern research has been conducted with the aim of translating evidence effectively into practice.
If anything, this pinpoints nursing research and evidence-based practice as essential components for healthcare excellence. Below, we explore the role of nurse researchers and how they work to improve the healthcare landscape through evidence-based practice.
What is nursing research?
Nursing research is a global commitment to consistent scientific inquiry that provides a significant body of knowledge to advance nursing practice and the overall healthcare landscape. According to the American Nurses Association: “the vision for nursing research is driven by the profession’s mandate to optimize the health and well-being of populations.”
Nurse researchers provide a comprehensive perspective to studying individuals, families and the community, including a biobehavioral, interdisciplinary and translational approach to science. To better understand the link between nursing research and evidence-based practice, we highlight its evolution from a historical perspective.
Nursing research has its roots in the work of renowned nurse Florence Nightingale, who collected and analyzed mortality data in the 1850s and used it to improve the quality of care and sanitation in hospitals. Since then, it has developed to focus on nursing education, nursing roles and nursing problems.
Nursing research witnessed significant growth again in the second half of the 20th century due to the growth of research methods and the emergence of evidence-based practice. During this time, research across the nursing field also became more interdisciplinary, collaborative and global.
In the 21st century, nursing research has been driven by a quest to advance the health and well-being of populations through relevant science. Today, this process addresses complex and emerging health issues, from chronic diseases to aging, health disparities and health systems. Nursing research also embraces new technologies to improve overall health.
The nurse researcher’s toolkit
A career in nursing research features several requirements that empower professionals to make meaningful contributions to the field. Between 2021-2022, there has been a 19% rise in demand for nurse researchers who can actively engage in shaping the future of healthcare.
When it comes to delivering results, nurse researchers are much more than skilled clinicians, as they are also competent investigators armed with a wealth of research methodologies and techniques. These methods are strategies or processes utilized in data collection or evidence for analysis to uncover new information or create a better understanding of a topic. Nurse researchers use a variety of techniques for this process.
Qualitative research
Qualitative research refers to any data collection based on things that cannot be accurately or precisely measured. It employs techniques like interviews, questions, observations and case studies to identify patterns.
Using the qualitative research method, nurses can gather data about lived experiences, emotions and the meanings individuals attach to them. This research method is useful for exploring how or why things occur, providing a better understanding of complex concepts, social interactions and cultural phenomena.
Quantitative research
On the other hand, quantitative research gathers numerical data that can be ranked, measured or categorized through statistical analysis. Nurse researchers use this method for empirical research, working on topics that can be accurately measured. Through quantitative research, they uncover patterns and relationships, which can be helpful for making generalizations.
Empirical research is quite different from other forms of research and, as such, is quite easy to identify. This type of research typically involves some sort of numerical measuring and statistical analysis. It is also characteristically divided into several sections, including an introduction, method description, results, conclusion and footnotes.
Mixed method research
As the name suggests, this research method integrates both quantitative and qualitative research, providing a comprehensive approach to analyzing statistical data with deeper contextualized insights. By combining both methods, nurse researchers can better triangulate or verify data from two or more sources.
Systematic review
Typically, a systematic review concentrates on a solitary, precisely formulated research question and looks to comprehensively gather and analyze all available studies that relate to this specific research query.
Meta-analysis
Meta-analysis takes the outcomes of several existing quantitative studies and analyzes them in a new way. With meta-analysis, nurse researchers can identify previously unnoticed patterns among existing study results and extract new data from them. Most professionals consider meta-analysis another form of quantitative research.
Literature review
Finally, nurse researchers can publish review articles with the sole purpose of providing an overview of previous important research on a particular topic. While most researchers work on a literature review at some point in their careers, it’s not considered primary research. However, it can be a valuable process for identifying research trends and major articles published on a topic.
Each research method is useful and works best for different scenarios. They also use different tools for data collection. For instance, quantitative data collection methods include experiments, clinical trials and surveys with closed-ended questions. On the other hand, researchers would need interviews, observations and open-ended questions for qualitative data collection. In any case, it’s important nurse researchers identify each research method and their corresponding data collection processes.
The role of nurse researchers
Some nursing programs do not include research as part of the curriculum but introduce research methods through assignments in various courses. Due to this potential research gap in the nursing curriculum, some nurses have only a very basic idea of what research entails.
Nurses can make the switch from providing clinical services to performing research for a wide range of reasons. For some, a career in research provides better working hours and new opportunities and challenges. Others opt for a career change to earn a better salary. The average nurse practitioner salary Texas is especially a topic of interest for many students who are pursuing careers in healthcare. Reputable institutions such as Texas Woman’s University (TWU) offer numerous benefits to their students. Designed for working nurses, their online MSN-FNP program includes training in applied research as well as pharmacology, pathophysiology, patient assessments and treatment methods. Salaries of advanced practice nurses vary by location, and this applies to nurse researchers, too.
Research is an indispensable part of modern, effective healthcare that demands specialized competencies and advanced responsibilities. For those looking to switch to a profession in nursing research, here are some of the crucial roles of these professionals:
Identifying healthcare challenges
The role of a nurse researcher is complex, varied and interesting. Although they tend to coordinate daily management in clinics, the principal researcher has the ultimate responsibility of carrying out studies and making observations through their daily management. This includes evaluating the effectiveness of nursing interventions and developing new nursing theories and models.
Over time, nurse researchers have identified some unmet needs in healthcare. Some case studies include the lack of effective treatments for certain diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and specific types of cancer. While these diseases pose a significant burden to patients, their caregivers and society, there are few or no available therapies that address or slow down their progression.
Nurse researchers have also identified the development of resistance to existing treatments, such as antibacterial drugs. This concern poses a serious threat to healthcare, as it reduces our ability to treat common infections and increases the risk of complications and deaths. Other unmet needs in healthcare include the inadequacies of delivery mechanisms for existing treatments and disparities in healthcare access and quality across different groups of people.
Nurse researchers identify these needs by carrying out studies based on any of the research methodologies highlighted earlier. They also work to develop and test new interventions, technologies and care methods that address these needs and improve health outcomes and health system performances.
Collaborative partnership
Clinical research is a team effort, so all healthcare providers are required to ensure the success of any research study. Today, registered nurses are increasingly employed in research-driven organizations and become an integral part of multidisciplinary teams. This trend does not necessarily undermine the work of nurse researchers; however, it does underscore their role as collaborators in research.
Collaborative partnership is based on the principles of mutual respect, trust, shared decision-making and co-learning between nurse researchers and other healthcare professionals. Collaboration is a crucial element of all successful research and can enhance the quality, relevance and impact of every study in different ways.
Firstly, by maintaining a collaborative partnership, nurses can infuse diverse perspectives, expertise and experiences into the research process. Collaboration also significantly increases the feasibility, acceptability and sustainability of research interventions and outcomes. Finally, it fosters the dissemination and implementation of these research findings into practice and policy.
Nurse researchers frequently act as the heads of multidisciplinary research teams. In this role, they must address some challenges prevalent in a collaborative partnership. This includes managing the complexities and dynamics of the collaboration process, balancing different expectations, interests and goals, resolving potential team conflicts, and ensuring ethical and transparent conduct.
Translating research into practice
Throughout the global healthcare landscape, there is a general acknowledgment that the clinical care provided to individuals should be informed by the best available evidence. This implies that the knowledge and evidence established from comprehensive research methods should drive clinical practice and decisions to improve healthcare delivery. This makes translating research evidence to clinical practice essential to safe, transparent, effective and efficient healthcare provision.
There are more nurses on the frontline of healthcare than any other healthcare profession. This makes nurses crucial in bridging the gap between research and clinical practice, as well as outlining the role of hospitals in medical research. Despite its importance, bridging the gap is challenging due to well-established translation barriers.
Nurse researchers can implement some strategies to seamlessly translate research into practice. The primary step is to provide educational activities that update and enhance the knowledge and skills of health professionals. They can also provide self-instructed learning, such as manuals and online courses, to help learners progress at their own pace and convenience.
Aside from academic processes, nurse researchers can also engage in audits and feedback. This process uses summary reports of clinical performance data to compare actual practice outcomes with the desired standards. With this data, they can provide recommendations for clinical improvement. Other successful implementation strategies include clinical information systems, continuous quality improvement initiatives, computer decision support systems and provider reminder systems.
Policy and advocacy
Healthcare disparities are a prevalent issue that highlights the differences in care provision between groups, stemming from broader inequalities based on social, economic and environmental factors. As with other unmet healthcare needs, nurse researchers are responsible for identifying these disparities and other issues related to healthcare policies.
By addressing these healthcare disparities, nurse researchers improve the health and well-being of individuals and populations that face greater barriers to accessing affordable, quality care. They also reduce the costs and inefficiencies associated with health complications and other scenarios that result from unmet health needs and gaps in care. Finally, nurse researchers enhance the performance and sustainability of the healthcare system by improving the quality, safety and efficiency of care.
Typically, nurses are expected to follow federal, state and agency policies while also being proactive in policy development and speaking up when policies are not followed. This responsibility also applies to nurse researchers, highlighting their role as advocates for evidence-based policies. They work to significantly influence healthcare decisions for the better.
At this stage of nursing, key organizations have highlighted the need for nurses to become more involved in leadership, advocacy and policy making. However, the widespread training of nurses concerning advocacy and policy is yet to be realized. Developing nurses as leaders with a strong voice in policy development and reform is a strategic effort that begins with advanced professionals like nurse researchers.
Measuring success
It is not enough to carry out research; there is also the need to assess the impact of nurse-led research, its effectiveness and its influence on healthcare outcomes. Nurse researchers employ various metrics and indicators to evaluate the impact of research.
Peer-reviewed journal publications
Peer review has become the foundation of scholarly publications because it subjects research work to the scrutiny of other experts in the field. This encourages authors to strive to produce high-quality research capable of advancing the field. This means the number of research articles published in reputable nursing and healthcare journals can indicate the recognition of nurse-led research within the academic and clinical sphere.
Citation counts
Citations are a crucial aspect of every piece of research, identifying the source of an idea, information or image that is referenced in a publication. As you would expect, researchers look to reference the best possible source, making citation count a crucial metric for research quality. The number of times a research paper is cited in other scholarly works demonstrates its influence and contribution to the broader body of knowledge.
Clinical practice guidelines and policy changes
The ultimate aim of evidence-based research is to translate knowledge into clinical practice. As nurse-led research findings are incorporated into clinical practice guidelines or protocols, it reflects their direct impact on patient care and clinical decision-making. This also applies to research works that propel policy changes at institutional, regional or national levels.
Collaborations and partnerships
Nursing research typically spans multiple disciplines, from healthcare to technology and social sciences. In this case, measuring the number and quality of collaborations between nurse researchers and other healthcare professionals or institutes can indicate the research’s influence on interdisciplinary practice.
Feedback
Gathering input from patients and caregivers who have been recipients of healthcare guided by nurse-led research is also important. This process provides insights into the qualitative influence of these research-driven approaches on their health outcomes and satisfaction levels. Positive feedback suggests successful and relevant research.
Conclusion
Ultimately, nurse researchers are changing the game by advancing healthcare through evidence-based practice. Through various research methods, they collect and analyze data, identify healthcare challenges and find effective evidence-based solutions. Aside from researchers, nurses are also increasingly involved in research as clinical staff. This makes for a very challenging but interesting field, offering professionals lots of opportunities for change and growth.
