Incorporating health services research into nursing doctoral programs.
Despite the successes of the US health care system, problems associated with access, affordability, and quality of care remain to be solved. Health services research (HSR) has the potential to aid nurses in addressing these issues; yet the importance of its inclusion in the academic preparation of nurse researchers has not been consistently recognized. This article discusses the relevance of HSR to nursing, provides a brief review of the history of HSR and its imperatives, and presents rationale for nursing's involvement in HSR. Problems identified by the Re-envisioning PhD project conducted by the University of Washington are assessed for relevance to HSR and nursing doctoral preparation. Recommendations are included for integrating HSR into nursing doctoral programs and meeting HSR capacity building needs for the future.
Jones
Cheryl Bland
CB
School of Nursing, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 27599-7460, USA. cheryl_jones@unc.edu
Lusk
Sally L
SL
D003479:Curriculum; D004511:Education, Nursing, Graduate; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D015399:Nursing Research