Use of Research by Undergraduate Nursing Students: A Qualitative Descriptive Study

Research utilization (RU) is crucial to preparing the next generation of registered nurses, since they are expected to stay abreast of research, read and use existing research to improve their ability to solve problems, and make decisions independently in clinical settings. Also, baccalaureate nursing programs often identify RU as an expected curricular outcome. The purpose of this study was to identify nursing students' perceptions about RU. In this study, we used a sequential mixed methods approach. In this paper, only qualitative analysis related to RU is reported. A qualitative descriptive design was used to address the study questions. A purposive sample of 20 undergraduate students enrolled in their final year of study in BScN programs (four-year basic, honors, and accelerated programs) was recruited via e-mail to participate in the study. The study findings were categorized into the components of the Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (PARIHS) framework, which is comprised of evidence, context, and facilitation. Findings disclosed some key themes that nursing students perceive as facilitating or restricting their use of research. These themes include level of education preparedness, clinical experience and expertise, lack of time, theory practice gap, and clinical evaluation criteria, nursing faculty support for using research, and faculty's' competency in research. The majority of students stated that they did not utilize the research findings in clinical practice. Insufficient knowledge about RU was the most prominent reason. These results suggest that students should be encouraged and supported to utilize research findings in their practice settings. Keywords: Nursing, Students, Nursing Research, Research Utilization, Evidence-Based Practice Translating research findings into practice is of considerable importance to the health of individuals worldwide (Athanasakis, 2013; Madon, Hofman, Kupfer, & Glass, 2007; Mutisya, KagureKarani, & Kigondu, 2015; Sanders & Haines, 2006; Wang, Jiang, Wang, Wang, & Bai, 2013). Internationally, there is a strong emphasis on evidence-based or research-based nursing practice (Kajermo, Bostrom, Thompson, Hutchinson, Estabrooks, Wallin, 2010; Melynk, Gallagher-Ford, Long, & Fineout-Overholt, 2014; Squires, Estabrooks, Gustavasson, & Wallin, 2011a; Squires, Hutchinson, Bostrom, Cobban, & Estabrooks, 2011b; Thompson, Estabrooks, Scott-Findlay, Moore, & Wallin, 2007) In fact, learning to critically appraise and use research evidence is now an important nursing education objective. The term evidence-based practice has recently become part of nursing jargon and has been used interchangeably with research utilization (RU); however, the terms are not synonymous (Estabrooks et al., 2008). Evidence-based practice is defined as using all evidence (including research studies, pathophysiology knowledge, expert opinion, clinical experience, patient input, quality improvement data, and case reports) to inform best practices (Estabrooks et al., 2008). Evidence-based practice is a more general term and encompasses RU. RU on the other hand is the translation of scientific evidence from research to improve the quality of care in practice. In this paper the word research in RU denotes only the findings of (usually scientific) research (Estabrooks et al., 2008). RU is crucial to preparing the next generation of registered nurses, since they are expected to stay abreast of research, read and use existing research to improve their ability to solve problems. This preparation is a key element in improving the use of research in clinical practice (Halabi & Hamdan-Mansour, 2010). The Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing (CASN) National Nursing Education Framework (2014) outlines guiding principles and essential components for undergraduate nursing education. Domain two of the Association's framework states that "baccalaureate nursing programs foster the development of critical thinking and research abilities to use evidence to inform nursing practice" (2014, p. …