title: Ambiguity in knowledge transfer: The role of theory-practice gap.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In spite of much literature written about the theory-practice gap in the international nursing journals, there is evidence that indicates this subject has not been probed comprehensively since nursing education was transferred to universities in Iran. In the recent years, the public and the government have criticized Iranian nurses because of poor quality of patient care. Although this subject has been lamented by some researchers, there is no comprehensive work on how this gap resulted. In the process of a larger study on "nursing knowledge translation to practice", of one PhD thesis, this process was explored.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using grounded theory analysis, indepth interviews were undertaken with a purposive sample of 29 nurses, with different levels of experience, from the school of nursing in Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2006 from January to August. Data were analyzed using the constant comparative method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three main themes emerging from this study included clinical behavior structure, paradoxical knowledge and practice, and divergent nursing organization.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It seems that nursing education with some praxis and paradoxes in the realm of nursing knowledge and practice, along with divergent organizational structure have decreased nurses' ability in applying their professional knowledge and skills in order to bridge the gap between theory and practice. Moreover, in spite of increased academic input into nursing education, clinical behaviors of both education and practice settings was perceived as "traditional routine-based".
authors: Assistant Professor, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors: Mohammad Ali
authors: MA
authors: Cheraghi
authors: Mahvash
authors: M
authors: Salsali
authors: Mahmoud
authors: M
authors: Safari
references: J Adv Nurs. 2006 Aug;55(4):465-77
references: 16866842
references: Nurs Health Sci. 2009 Dec;11(4):404-9
references: 19909449
references: Nurse Educ Today. 2000 Feb;20(2):116-22
references: 11148834
references: Int Hist Nurs J. 2000 Summer;5(3):58-63
references: 11624739
references: J Nurs Adm. 2003 Jan;33(1):39-47
references: 12544624
references: Nurse Educ Today. 2003 Apr;23(3):183-90
references: 12672386
references: Nurse Educ Pract. 2005 Jan;5(1):49-57
references: 19038178
references: Nurse Educ Pract. 2004 Sep;4(3):177-83
references: 19038155
references: J Adv Nurs. 1996 Oct;24(4):754-61
references: 8894893
references: BMC Nurs. 2004 Apr 6;3(1):2
references: 15068484
references: Nurse Educ Today. 2000 Aug;20(6):499-505
references: 10959139
references: Int J Nurs Pract. 2008 Feb;14(1):26-33
references: 18190481
references: J Adv Nurs. 2004 Mar;45(6):579-87
references: 15012635
references: J Adv Nurs. 1993 Sep;18(9):1471-9
references: 8258607
references: Hum Resour Health. 2004 Jun 24;2(1):9
references: 15217516
references: Nurs Health Sci. 2007 Sep;9(3):212-20
references: 17688480
references: J Adv Nurs. 2000 May;31(5):1115-24
references: 10840245
references: J Adv Nurs. 1998 Jun;27(6):1269-77
references: 9663879
references: Br J Nurs. 1996 Nov 28-Dec 11;5(21):1338
references: 9015991
references: Int J Nurs Pract. 2003 Apr;9(2):78-85
references: 12694476
references: J Adv Nurs. 1996 Mar;23(3):594-602
references: 8655837
references: Hum Resour Health. 2005 Oct 08;3:9
references: 16212672
references: BMC Nurs. 2005 Nov 09;4:6
references: 16280087
references: BMC Nurs. 2009 Sep 13;8:9
references: 19747399
references: Nurse Educ Today. 2001 Jan;21(1):65-70
references: 11162259
references: J Adv Nurs. 2007 Jun;58(6):566-75
references: 17442028
references: J Adv Nurs. 1997 Sep;26(3):455-62
references: 9378863
references: J Adv Nurs. 2000 Aug;32(2):473-80
references: 10964197
references: BMC Med Educ. 2005 Jul 27;5:29
references: 16045808
references: Nurse Educ Pract. 2002 Dec;2(4):244-50
references: 19036306
references: Iran J Nurs Midwifery Res. 2010 Spring;15(2):83-9
references: 21589785