Funded Research

Exploring Learning Experiences and Selected Nurse, Patient Safety, and Organizational Outcomes Associated with a Research Capacity-Building Strategy

October 2009

By Lianne Jeffs
St. Michael’s Hospital (Toronto, ON)

Executive Summary (PDF, 24 MB)
Full report (PDF, 199 KB)

A large proportion of annual preventable deaths from adverse events in health care is posited to be related to the lack of research use in clinical practice. Given that the conduct and use of high-quality, clinically significant research has long-reaching benefits for both patients and the nursing profession, it is imperative that nurses take a lead role in generating knowledge in safer health care practices and translating this knowledge to the point of care.

A descriptive, mixed-methods study was conducted that examined selected outcomes (nursing, patient and organizational) and learning experiences (knowledge translation) associated with the implementation of a research-capacity intervention with nurses. Given methodological challenges (small sample size and missing data elements), analysis was limited to a description of the selected nursing (satisfaction, research utilization and barriers to research utilization); patient safety (patient satisfaction, falls, pressure ulcers, hospital acquired pneumonia and medication errors); and organizational (turnover, absenteeism, overtime and agency use) outcomes.

The following four overlapping themes emerged:

  1. raising the bar for nursing and safer care through research;
  2. having someone always behind you while taking steps;
  3. riding the ups and downs of the research capacity intervention program; and
  4. paving the way for others to engage in research.

Collectively, study findings add to both the evolving patient-safety science knowledge base and the understanding of the methodological challenges associated with measuring outcomes of targeted research capacity-building strategies for individual nurses and the nursing profession.

A large proportion of annual preventable deaths from adverse events in health care is posited to be related to the lack of research use in clinical practice. Given that the conduct and use of high-quality, clinically significant research has long...

Une grande proportion des décès évitables annuels dus à des événements indésirables en soins de santé semblent être associés au manque d’utilisation de la recherche dans la pratique clinique. Étant donné que la direction et l’utilisation ...