title: Pilot studies in clinical nursing research.
abstract: As clinical nursing research gains prominence in the profession, the need for, and advantages of, pilot studies are increasing. This article describes the purposes of pilot studies, the potential positive and negative outcomes of these studies, and three examples of pilot studies with different outcomes. The emphasis is on issues related to clinical nursing research, particularly research done in acute care settings.
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Mason
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Zuercher
mesh_terms: D015400:Clinical Nursing Research; D006801:Humans; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012107:Research Design