This document defines nursing research and outlines its importance and impact. Nursing research is a scientific process that validates existing knowledge and generates new knowledge to influence nursing practice. It is based on evidence and used to improve patient outcomes, validate methods, and can influence insurance reimbursement. Reading research articles allows nurses to draw their own conclusions about quality and usefulness to inform decisions and incorporate evidence into practice. When analyzing research, its methodology, results, limitations and consistency across studies must be evaluated to determine if findings can reliably guide practice.

1. Nursing Research
What it is, why it is, and how to use it correctly

2. Objectives:
• Define nursing research
• List the components of a research article
• Understand the process of critiquing research
• Appreciate the significance of nursing research

3. Definitions:
• Nursing research: a scientific investigation of a
issues of importance to the field of nursing
(conehealth.com, n.d.)
• A scientific process that validates and refines
existing knowledge and generates new
knowledge that directly and indirectly influences
nursing practice (Pinoy, 2009).

4. How research impacts nursing
practice
• Safe and quality care • Obligation to
is based upon profession, patient
evidence and society to
• Used to improve execute best practice
patient outcomes • Insurance
• Provides validation reimbursement can
of methods and be based upon
practices evidence based
research

5. • Benefits of reading research articles:
• Research articles are the best source of
tested, evidence-based information.
• By going to the source of information, readers
can draw their own conclusions about the quality
of the research and its usefulness to their work.
• Readers can use the research to inform decisions
about their programs, including decisions about
program development, design, or discontinuation.
• Readers can incorporate the evidence into their
practice or resource materials (Know Mo, 2009).

6. In analyzing a research report, the reader
must evaluate each step of the research
process and ask questions about whether
each step of the process meets the criteria.

7. Evidence based practice is providing
care based on proven research data
that supports the practice improves
patient outcomes. The research is
reliable if it can be replicated with
similar results.

8. Parts of a research article
Introduction
Review of literature
Purpose statement
Methodology
 Participants in the study including the sample size and a
description of those participants (e.g., age, gender, education
level).
 How participants were selected for the study (e.g., random
sample, convenience sample, census)
 What was measured and how was it measured
 An explanation of how the data was analyzed

9. Parts of a research article
Results
Statistical analysis
Discussion or interpretation of results
Limitations of study
Conclusion and summary
References

10. Is there Sufficient Research to
Guide Practice?
• Consistency of findings across studies
• Studies reported are sound and conducted
appropriately
• Clinically relevant

11. References
Cone Health. (n.d.) QI, evidence based practice and nursing
research: Is there a difference? Retrieved from:
http://www.conehealth.com/body_nursing.cfm?id=1471
Pinoy. (2009, November 20). The definition of nursing research.
[Web log comment]. Retrieved from:
http://pinoynursesnotes.blogspot.com/2009/11/defintion-of-
nursing-research.html