A study of the utilization of research in practice and the influence of education

This paper reports part of a multi-phase study which aimed to investigate t he extent to which nurses utilize research and to identify factors associat ed with research utilization. The findings presented examine the influence of education upon research utilization. Firstly, a survey of registered nur ses working in general medical and surgical wards in Scotland was conducted . 680/936 (72.6%) nurses returned self-report questionnaires to measure the level of utilization of 14 research based practices and assess the presenc e of potential influencing factors. This was then followed up through inter views with a sub-sample of nurses. An association was found between a highe r educational level and research utilization. The nurses reported that in c ourses as opposed to study days, they were expected to engage in study and read and complete course work whereas attendance at study days could be an entirely passive experience and was often more of a morale booster. Nurses who read at least one journal regularly, had had more study leave, or had a ttended research courses also had a higher level of research utilization. ( C) 2000 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.