Nursing research is defined as the systematic investigation of issues relevant to nursing practice. It is important for developing an evidence base to guide nursing practice and professionalize the field. Nursing research seeks to answer questions about nursing interventions and patient experiences to improve quality of care. It provides a scientific foundation for the profession and helps refine nursing knowledge, theories, and education.

1. NURSING RESEARCH
DEFINITION, TERMINOLOGIES, NEED AND
IMPORTANCE OF NURSING RESEARCH

2. The word research is derived from the French term
recerchier, a compound word composed of a prefix, re,
and a verb, search. Re means ‘intensive’, ‘once again’,
‘anew’, or ‘afresh’ and search means ‘to look for
something or examine closely and carefully’, ‘to look
for information’, ‘to test and try’, or ‘to prove’.

3.  Research is defined as a systematic and scientific process to answer
questions about facts and relationship between facts. It is an activity
involved in seeking answers to unanswered questions.
 Research essentially is a problem-solving process, a systematic,
intensive study directed towards full scientific knowledge of subject
studies. (Ruth M. French, 1968)
 Research is the process of systematically obtaining accurate answers to
significant and pertinent questions by the use of the scientific method of
gathering and interpreting information. (Clover and Balsley, 1979)

4. CONTD..
 Nursing research is defined as the application of scientific inquiry to the
phenomena of concern to nursing. Nursing research seeks to find new
knowledge that can eventually be applied in providing nursing care to
patients.
 The term research refers to the application of scientific enquiry to
phenomenon of concern to nursing. The systemic investigation of
patients and their health experiences is the primary concern of nursing
research. (Schlotfeldt, 1977)

5.  Nursing research refers to the use of systematic, controlled, empirical, and critical
investigation in attempting to discover or confirm facts that relate to a specific
problem or question about the practice of nursing. (Walls and Bausell, 1981)
 Nursing research is a way to identify new knowledge, improve professional
education and practices and use of resources effectively. (International Council of
Nurses, 1986)
 Nursing research is the testing of knowledge that can be used to guide nursing
practice. It is concerned with examining questions and verifying interventions based
on human experiences. (National Center for Nursing Research, 1986)

6. CONTD..
 Nursing research is defined as a systematic detailed attempt to discover or
confirm facts that relate to a specific problem to improve the practice and
profession of nursing. (Abdellah and Levine, 1994)
 Nursing research is defined as a systematic search for knowledge about
issues of importance to nursing. (Polit and Hungler, 2001)
 Nursing research is a scientific, systematic and orderly process to find out
solutions for problems concerned with nursing or generating and refining the
nursing knowledge to improve quality of nursing care, nursing education, and
nursing administration. (S. K. Sharma, 2005)

7.  EBP in nursing is a process of locating, appraising, and applying the best
evidence from the nursing and medical literature to improve the quality of
clinical nursing practices.
 Evidence-based nursing (EBN) is a recently emerged term and EBN is a
type of EBP in nursing. It involves identifying solid research findings and
implementing them in nursing practices to increase the quality of patient
care.

8. TERMINOLOGIES
 Abstract: A clear, concise summary of a study that communicates the
essential in information about the study. In research journals, it is usually
located at the beginning of an article.
 Data: Units of information or any statistics, facts, figures, general
material, evidence, or knowledge collected during the course of the
study.
 • Variables: Attributes or characteristics that can have more than one
value, such as height or weight. In other words, variables are qualities,
quantities, properties, or characteristics of people, things, or situations
that change or vary.

9. CONTD..
 •Dependent variables: Variables that change as the independent
variable is manipulated by the researcher; sometimes called the criterion
variables.
 •Independent variables: Variables that are purposely manipulated or
changed by the researcher; also called manipulated variables.
 •Research variables: These are the qualities, properties, or
characteristics that are observed or measured in a natural setting without
manipulating and establishing cause-and-effect relationship.

10. CONTD..
 • Demographic variables: The characteristics and attributes of the study
subjects are considered demographic variables; for example, age, gender,
educational status, religion, social class, marital stastatus, habitat,
occupation, income, medical diagnosis, and so on.
 • Extraneous variables: Extraneous variables are the factors that are not
the part of the study but may affect the measurement of the study
variables; they are commonly known as confounders or confounding
variables.

11. CONTD..
 Operational definition: The way by which a researcher clarifies and
defines the variables under investigation. In addition, the researcher must
also specify how the variables will be observed and measured in the
actual research situation.
 Concept: A word picture or mental idea of a phenomenon. Concepts are
the words or terms that symbolize some aspects of reality. For example,
stress, pain, or love. Concepts are the building blocks of theory.

12. CONTD..
 A construct term is used to indicate a phenomenon that cannot be
directly observed but must be inferred by certain concrete or less-abstract
indicators of the phenomenon. For example, wellness, mental health, and
self-esteem are constructs, and they can only be measured through
indefinable and measurable concepts; for example, wellness can only be
assessed through laboratory data.

13.  • Proposition: A proposition is a statement or assertion of the
relationship between concepts. For example, there is relationship
between level of anxiety and performance; or virus causes acute illness.
Propositions are drawn from theories or empirical data.
 • Conceptual framework: Interrelated concepts or abstractions that are
assembled together in some rational scheme by virtue of their relevance
to a common theme; sometimes referred to as a conceptual theoretical
framework if based on the concepts of an existing theory or theories.

14. • Assumption: Basic principle that is accepted as being true on
the basis of logic or reason, without proof or verification.
• Hypothesis: A statement of the predicted relationship between
two or more variables in a research study; an educated or
calculated guess by the researcher.
• Literature review: A critical summary or research on a topic
of interest, generally prepared to put a research problem in
context or to identify gaps and weaknesses in prior studies so as
to justify a new investigation.

15.  • Limitations: Restrictions in a study that may decrease the credibility
and generalize ability of the research findings.
 •Manipulation: An intervention or treatment introduced by the
researcher in an experimental or quasi-experimental study; the
researcher manipulates the independent variable to assess its impact on
the dependent variable.
 • Hypothesis: A statement of the predicted relationship between two or
more variables in a research study; an educated or calculated guess by
the researcher.

16.  • Literature review: A critical summary or research on a topic of
interest, generally prepared to put a research problem in context or
to identify gaps and weaknesses in prior studies so as to justify a
new investigation.
 • Limitations: Restrictions in a study that may decrease the
credibility and generalizability of the research findings.

17.  • Population: The entire set of individuals or objects having some common
characteristic(s) selected for a research study (e.g. patients admitted to
intensive care units); sometimes referred to as the universe of the research
study.
 •Target population: The entire population in which the researchers are
interested and to which they would like to generalize the research findings.
 • Accessible population: The aggregate of cases that conform to designated
inclusion or exclusion criteria and that are accessible as subjects of the
study.

18.  • Research study setting: The study setting is the location in which the
research is conducted—it could be natural, partially controlled, or highly
controlled. Natural or field setting is an uncontrolled real-life situation.
In a partially controlled situation, the environment is partially modified
to control extraneous variables, while in highly controlled situations, the
study environment is fully controlled to combat the effect of extraneous
variables.

19.  • Sample: A part or subset of population selected to participate in
research study. • Representative sample: A sample whose characteristics
are highly similar to that of the population from which it is drawn.
 • Sampling: The process of selecting sample from the target population
to represent the entire population.
 • Probability sampling: The selection of subjects or sampling units from
a population using random procedure; examples include simple random
sampling, stratified random sampling, and systematic sampling.

20.  • Non-probability sampling: The selection of subjects or sampling units
from a population using nonrandom procedures; examples include
convenient, purposive, and quota sampling.
 • Reliability: The degree of consistency or accuracy with which an
instrument measures the attribute it is designed to measure.
 • Validity: The degree to which an instrument measures what it is
intended to measure.

21.  • Pilot study: Study carried out at the end of the planning phase of
research in order to explore and test the research elements to make
relevant modifications in research tools and methodology.
 • Analysis: Method of organizing, sorting, and scrutinizing data in such a
way that research question can be answered or meaningful inferences can
be drawn.

22. NEED OF NURSING RESEARCH
 Research is a fundamental essential prerequisite for any profession. Nurses engage
in research for a number of reasons. As professionals, nurses seek to establish a
scientific base of knowledge for nursing.
 The specific purpose of nursing research includes identification, description,
exploration, explanation, prediction, and control of facts. Therefore, nursing research
enables nurses in the following ways:
 • Develop, refine, and extend the scientific base of knowledge, which is required for
quality nursing care, education, and administration.

23.  • Enhance the body of professional knowledge in nursing.
 • Provide foundation for evidence based nursing (EBN) practices.
 • Help in expansion of knowledge, which is essential for continued growth of nursing
profession.
 • Enhance their professional identity as research is an essential component of any
profession.
 • Define the parameters of nursing, which will help nurses to identify boundaries of
nursing profession.
 • Refine and eliminate old knowledge so that it helps in elimination of nursing actions
that have no effect on the achievement of desired care outcomes.

24.  • Enhance accuracy of different nursing educational and administrative
techniques.
 • Develop and refine nursing theories and principles.
 • Solve the problems or answer the questions related to nursing practices,
nursing education, and nursing administration.

25. IMPORTANCE OF RESEARCH IN NURSING
Some of the facts that prove the importance or significance of nursing research are
as follows:
 • The development and utilization of nursing knowledge is essential for continued
development in patient care; nurses can develop or refine this knowledge by the
help of nursing research.
 • Nurses are increasingly expected to adopt a research-based or EBP, using
research findings to guide their decisions, actions, and interactions with patients,
patients’ family, and community. Research is the only way that can provide nurses
first-hand experiences on which they can build their EBN practices.

26.  • With a fast-developing world, nurses are realizing the need to base
specific nursing actions and decisions on evidences indicating that the
actions are clinically appropriate, cost-effective, and result in positive
patient outcome. This can be achieved through research conducted in the
nursing discipline.
 • Another major reason for which nurses must get involved in research is
rapid advancement in medical science and technology; to keep pace with
this advancement, nurses must conduct research to learn about efficacy of
particular technology in reference to positive patient outcome.

27.  • Nursing research is essential for nurses to understand the varied
dimensions of their profession.
 • Research enables nurses to study characteristics of particular nursing
situation about which little is known, explain the phenomena that must be
considered in planning nursing care, predict the probable outcome, and
initiate activities to promote desired patient behaviour.
 • Nurses need to get involved in research because the cost of care is
increasing day by day. Therefore, they must find solution for cost-effective
care through research.

28.  • Research also helps nurses to eliminate nursing actions that do not
achieve desired care outcome for patients. Furthermore, nursing research
findings may help nurses to identify the practices that improve health
care outcome of patients and remain cost-effective.