Nursing research
Nursing research is the term used to describe the evidence used to support
nursing practice. Nursing, as an evidence based area of practice, has been developing since the time of
Florence Nightingale to the present day, where many nurses now work as researchers based in
universities as well as in the
health care setting.
Nurse education places emphasis upon the use of
evidence from
research in order to rationalise nursing
interventions. In
England and
Wales courts may determine whether or not a nurse acted
reasonably based upon whether or not their intervention was supported by
research.
Nursing research falls largely into two areas:
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Quantitative research, is based in the
paradigm of
logical positivism and is focused upon outcomes for clients that are measurable, generally using
statistics. The dominant
research method is the
randomised controlled trial.
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Qualitative research, is based in the paradigm of
phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography and others, and examines the experience of those receiving or delivering the nursing care, focusing, in particular, on the
meaning that it holds for the individual. The research methods most commonly used are
interviews,
case studies,
focus groups and
ethnographyRecently in the
UK,
action research has become increasingly popular in nursing.
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Nursing*
Nursing theory
