Nurses' perceptions of research utilization in a corporate health care system.
OBJECTIVE
To explore selected characteristics of nurses based upon educational level (masters, baccalaureate, associate degree/diploma), years of experience, and hospital position (management, advanced practice, staff nurse) that might affect perceived availability of research resources, attitude towards research, support, and research use in practice.


METHODS
A descriptive nonexperimental mailed survey design was used for this study.


METHODS
Nurses in five hospitals within a corporate hospital system were surveyed using the Research Utilization Questionnaire (RUQ). The RUQ was used to measure nurses' perceptions of research utilization in the four dimensions of perceived use of research, attitude toward research, availability of research resources, and perceived support for research activities.


RESULTS
ANOVA was used to analyze the data. Statistically significant differences (p<.001) were found in the perceived use of research, attitude toward research, availability of research resources, and perceived support for research activities based on educational level and organizational position. No significant differences were found in the perception of nurses based on years of experience.


CONCLUSIONS
The results of this study have implications for staff nurses, administrators, advanced practice nurses, and educators working in hospital systems. The different perceptions based upon educational level and hospital position can be integrated and used at all levels of nursing practice to promote research utilization and evidence-based practice initiatives within the organizational structure.


CONCLUSIONS
The results of this study have nursing implications within administration and for nursing practice. The different perceptions that were found based upon educational level and hospital position can be positively integrated and used by administrators and by nurses all levels of nursing practice to promote research utilization and evidence based practice initiatives within the organizational structure.
McCloskey
Donna Jo
DJ
National Institutes of Health, National Center for Research Resources, Bethesda, MD, USA. closkd@mail.nih.gov
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D004059:Diffusion of Innovation; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005260:Female; D006777:Hospitals, Proprietary; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009096:Multi-Institutional Systems; D015399:Nursing Research / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital; D014481:United States