About Research in Nursing
Nurses use research to provide evidence-based care that promotes quality health outcomes for individuals, families, communities and health care systems. Nurses conduct research, use research in practice, and teach about research. The website of the American Nursing Association has the following definitions about Nursing Research:
- Research - as a common term, it is an investigative activity meant to discover answers to questions or inquiry. A dictionary definition : " to collect information about something in great detail" ( NTC's Super-mini English Dictionary. (2002). Chicago: McGraw-Hill)
- Nursing research is a systematic process for answering questions through the discovery of new information with the ultimate goal of improving client care. Quoted from Fain, A: Reading, Understanding, and Applying Nursing Research. F.A. Davis Company, Philadelphia, 2004 (taken from Catalano, J. T. (2006). Nursing Now : Today's Issues, Tomorrow's Trends. Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis Company. Page 448
- Evidence Based Practice (EBP) - is a clinical decision making process that combines the best available research evidence, with the nurses’ clinical expertise, and with the patient’s preferences for the best way for his or her care. [from : Jones, R. P. (2007). Nursing Leadership and Management : Theories, Processes, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis Company.(page 83]
