Abstract
Purpose: This study was aimed at clarifying the actual condition of the research conducted by nurses at hospitals in order to develop a way of conducting nursing research which is suitable for clinical settings.
Methods: For this study, 3000 hospitals were randomly selected from those with more than 100 beds, all over Japan. A questionnaire was mailed to the nurses who promote nursing research at the hospital, and they were asked to answer the questions and mail it back.
Results: Answers were received from 1130 hospitals (collection rate 37.7%), and 1116 hospitals with more than 100 beds at the investigation were analyzed. Most hospitals (88.4%) had organized nursing research. ‘Staff education’ was highly prioritized as the purpose, and was followed by, ‘improvement of patient's service’ and ‘business improvement.’ The survey questionnaire on the actual clinical conditions was most frequently used as the method, the study period was usually one year, and there was a shortage of time and funds. A few (14.8%) had published a paper about their research outcomes. To promote research conducted by nurses at hospitals, they required the knowledge and skills of data analysis and research methods, and they would like staff members who instruct nursing research at the hospital. Though the percentage of literature review by using a database was not high (37.0%), a few (22.3%) required the means to obtain literature.
Conclusion: The present study has clarified the issues of nursing research in clinical settings, and the results suggest that the purpose of organizing research at hospitals should be carefully considered in future studies and recourses outside the hospitals should be utilized.
