Introduction to Nursing

Research
Prepared by / Dr. Zohor Zakaria Elsaeed

Assist. prof nursing service administration

Outline
• History of nursing research
• Definition of nursing research
• Direction & purposes of nursing research
• Importance of nursing research
• Value of nursing research
• Types of research
• Sources of knowledge for nursing
History
. of Nursing Research
Florence Nightingale is often seen as the first
nurse researcher. Her research in the 1850s
focused on soldiers’ morbidity and mortality
during the Crimean War. Her ‘research’
eventually led to changes in the environment
for sick people, including cleanliness,
ventilation, clean water and adequate diet.
In the 1950s, sociologists and psychologists were
more likely to be undertaking research into
nursing and nurses; one being Marjorie Simpson,
who started the first self-help group for nurse
researchers in 1959 called the Research
Discussion Group.
- 1960s Practice oriented research; first nursing
research journals.
- 1983 ANA Center for nursing research.
- Rafferty (1997) argues that economic, political
and organization factors influence the types of
research that nurses undertake and can
influence where the research funding is
allocated.
Tierney (1998) presented a picture of the
development of nursing research across Europe.
Tierney pointed out that there are four elements that
support development: ‘bottom-up’ initiatives by
forward-looking individuals; ‘top-down’ initiatives
through government support; growth of a research
infrastructure as seen through universities; and a
strategic approach rather than ad hoc initiatives.
Definition of nursing research
Burns & Grove, 2001 defined nursing
research as a “scientific process that validates
and refines existing knowledge and generates
new knowledge that directly and indirectly
influences nursing practice”
Directions & purposes of nursing research
- 1- Basic research (pure research): is concerned
with generating new knowledge.
- The first direction purposes :
 Enlargement of the basic nursing knowledge
 Strengthening of the nursing profession
 Effective evaluation of nursing care
 Solving clinical nursing problems
 Positive changes in clinical practice
Directions & purposes of nursing research
2-Applied research is concerned with using
knowledge to solve immediate problems.
- The second direction purposes:
 concerns the provision of
an evidence-based patient
nursing care
 provision of an advanced
patient care-nursing quality.
Importance of Nursing Research
1. Nursing research empowers every nurse’s clinical practice.
2. Nurses can ask questions aimed at gaining new knowledge
to improve patient care, the nursing profession and health
care overall.
3. Research-based (evidence based) practice = integrating
research findings into clinical decision making
4. Accountability for care-related decisions.
5. Research expands nursing practice.
6. Reinforce the identity of nursing as a profession
7. knowing/ understanding our patients and the health care
experience.
Value of nursing research
 Providing high-quality up-to-date care to
clients.
 Incorporate of nursing research knowledge
into daily practice protocols.
 Increasing consumer expectations.
 Reaching for more-cost effective nursing
strategies.
 The process for answering the questions
•
that surface in daily nursing practice
Types of research
 Basic versus Applied

 Experimental versus non-experimental

 Descriptive Research

 Correlation Research

 Retrospective versus Prospective

 Cross-Sectional versus Longitudinal

1. Basic versus Applied
Basic research Applied research
- Search of knowledge or - Knowledge intended to
finding truth. directly influence clinical
- Generates, refines theory. practice
- Often uses laboratory - Conducted in actual
setting. practice conditions
- Findings may not be - Solve problems, make
directly useful in practice. decisions, predict outcomes
- May be used later in - Evaluate interventions
development of - Test/validate theories
treatment/drug/theory - Evaluate “Basic” research
knowledge for usefulness.
2- Experimental versus non-experimental
Experimental Non-experimental
- Researcher manipulates or - Describes or looks at
controls variable(s) and relationships(s) or correlation
observes effect in other between variables.
variable(s) - Variables are not manipulated
- Evaluates cause and effect by the researcher
relationship - Ex: Correlation between
- Ex: Does a pre-op intervention breast cancer and smoking.
program increase self efficacy
of self care measures post-op?
3- Descriptive Research
Uses questionnaires, surveys, interviews or observations to
collect data.

4- Correlation Research
 Relationships between and among variables.
 Collection of data on at least 2 variables for the same
group of individuals.
5- Retrospective versus Prospective
Retrospective Prospective

- Examines data already - Examines data being

collected in the past. collected in the present
- Ex: Review of medical - Ex: Study describing
records to examine social support and coping
previous history in of mechanisms of women
cholesterol levels in MI with ovarian cancer.
patients.
6- Cross-Sectional versus Longitudinal

Cross-Sectional Longitudinal

- Collects data at one - Studies examines

point in time. variables of interest over
- What exists today? a period of time
Sources of knowledge for nursing

1)Nursing traditions

2)Intuition

3)Experience and trial & error

4)logical reasoning
 1) Nursing traditions
Nursing traditions from past have been transferred to the
present by written and oral communication and role
modeling, and they continue to influence the practice of
nursing.
•

• For example: many of the policy and procedure manuals

in hospitals contain traditional ideas.
• This type of knowledge often is so much a part of our
culture that few of us seek verification.
Advantages of tradition as a source of information
a)Each individual is not required to begin a new in an
attempt to understand the world or a certain aspect.

b)Providing a common foundation of accepted truth.

Traditional nursing knowledge sources include:
• books
• journals
• observing the
practice of others.
 2)Intuition
Intuition is a form of knowing and behaving not apparently based on •
rational reasoning. “Use sense to know what to do”.
 3)Experience and trial & error
Our own experiences represent a familiar and functional
source of knowledge. The ability to generalize to recognize
regularities and to make predications based on observations
is an important characteristics of human mind.
•
 4)logical reasoning
It is a method of knowing combines experience, our
intellectual faculties and formed systems of thought.
Inductive reasoning, is the process of developing
generalization from specific observed.
Deductive reasoning, is the process of developing
specific prediction from general principle.