Utilizing Research:
Putting Research
Evidence Into
Nursing Practice
Prepare by /Dr. AmiraYahia
Outlines
 Introduction
 RESEARCH
UTILIZATION VERSUS EVIDENCEBASED
PRACTICE
 Utilization of Nursing Research
 Research Utilization Process
 Rogers characterized of the innovation
 Research Utilization in Nursing Practice
 Evidence-Based Practice
 BARRIERS TO USING RESEARCH IN NURSING
PRACTICE
Introduction
Most nurse researchers want their findings to
contribute to nursing practice, and there is growing
interest among nurses in basing their practice on
solid research evidence
RESEARCH UTILIZATION VERSUS
EVIDENCEBASED PRACTICE
The terms research utilization and evidence-based
practice are sometimes used synonymously.
Although there is overlap between the two
concepts, they are, in fact, distinct. Research
utilization (RU), the narrower of the two terms, is the
use of the findings from a disciplined study or set of
studies in a practical application that is unrelated to
the original research.
Cont…
EBP involves making clinical decisions on the basis
of the best possible evidence. Usually, the best
evidence comes from rigorous research
The Utilization of Nursing Research
During the 1980s and early 1990s, research
utilization became an important buzz word, and
several changes in nursing education and nursing
research were prompted by the desire to develop
a knowledge base for nursing practice
Cont…..
These changes, coupled with the completion of
several large research utilization projects, played a
role in sensitizing the nursing community to the
desirability of using research as a basis for practice
Research utilization (RU)
and evidence-based practice (EBP
on Efforts
RU path
Emergency of
research finding on
atopic(innovation)
findings
topic
EBP path -->
on a
Search for best
evidence to
address clinical
problems
Evaluation/integrati
on of finding :best
research evidence
practice (RU)
(innovations)
findings on a)
Evaluation/integration of
other types of evidence
(e.g: patient preference)
Efforts to use
n/integration
Efforts to use
findings in
practice(RU)
(innovations)
findings on a
topic of
Efforts to base
practice on best
evidence(EBP)
Cont….
Recently studied research utilization found
evidence to support three distinct types of
research utilization:
(1) indirect research utilization, involving changes
in nurses’ thinking and therefore similar to
conceptual utilization.
(2) direct research utilization, involving the direct
use of findings in giving patient care and
therefore similar to instrumental utilization
(3) persuasive utilization, involving the use of
findings to encourage others (typically those in
decision making positions) to make changes in
policies or practices relevant to nursing care.
Cont…
These varying ways of thinking about research
utilization clearly suggest that both qualitative and
quantitative research can play key roles in guiding
and improving nursing practice.
The Research Utilization Process:
Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovations Theory
The key elements in this process, all of which
influence the rate and extent of innovation
Adoption, include the following:
1. The innovation is the new idea, practice, or
procedure that, if adopted, will result in changes;
the nature of the innovation strongly affects
decisions about adoption.
2. Communication channels are the media
through which information about the innovation
is transmitted, and can include both mass
media (e.g., journal articles, the Internet), or
individual, face to- face communication
3. Time is a component of the theory in that the
process of knowledge diffusion occurs over time;
there are varying amounts of time that elapse
between the creation of the knowledge and its
dissemination, and between knowledge
awareness and the decision to use or reject the
innovation.
4. The social system is the set of interrelated units
that solve problems and seek to accomplish a
common goal; diffusion occurs within social
systems that vary in their norms and receptivity
to innovations
Rogers characterized the innovation—
adoption process as having five stages
1- Knowledge stage, individuals or groups become aware of the
innovation
2-Persuasion stage, they form a positive attitude toward it.
3- Decision stage, a choice is made about whether to adopt or
reject the innovation.
4- Implementation stage.
5- Confirmation stage, and decisions get made about continuation
or discontinuation of the innovation
Research Utilization in Nursing Practice
There is need to reduce the gap between nursing
research and nursing practice. The Conduct and
Utilization of Research in Nursing (CURN) Project,
found major objective of the CURN project was to
increase the use of research findings in the daily
practice of registered nurses by disseminating
current research findings, facilitating
organizational changes needed to implement
innovations, and encouraging collaborative
clinical research
Evidence-Based Practice
EBP, by contrast, begins with a search for
information about how best to solve specific
practice problems. EBP offers a solution to
sustaining high health care quality in our current
cost-constrained environment .
Six-level evidence hierarchy that also assigns
grades on study quality:
I. Meta-analyses of controlled studies
II. Individual experimental studies
III. Quasi-experimental studies
IV. Nonexperimental studies
V. Program evaluations, research utilization studies,
quality improvement projects, case reports
VI. Opinions of respected authorities and of expert
committees
BARRIERS TO USING RESEARCH IN
NURSING PRACTICE
 Research-Related
Barriers : For many nursing
problems, the state of the art of research
knowledge is fairly primitive.
 Nurse-Related Barriers: Nurses’ attitudes toward
research and their motivation to engage in EBP
have repeatedly been identified as potential
barriers
Cont…
 Organizational
Barriers :In many practice settings
administrators have established procedures to
reward competence in nursing practice.
Organizations also may be reluctant to expend
resources for RU/EBP activities or for changing
organizational policy
 Barriers
Related to the Nursing Profession:
Sometimes has been difficult to encourage
clinicians and researchers to interact and
collaborate . They are usually in different settings,
have many different professional concerns.