The extent of nursing research utilization in general medical and surgicalwards

There has been extensive speculation about the lack of research utilization in nursing but little attempt to quantify this phenomenon outside of North America. The current demands for evidence-based practice necessitate resea rch utilization as one element of the process. As part of a larger project, this study aimed to describe the extent of research utilization by registe red nurses in general medical and surgical wards in the Scottish Health Ser vice. A postal survey was conducted for nurses to self-report their level o f utilization of 14 research-based practices. The 14 practices represented examples of direct, indirect and methodological utilization of research. A research utilization score was constructed for each of the 14 practices and a total mean score constructed for all 14 practices. A random two-stage st ratified sampling resulted in a total sample of 936 nurses from 25 hospital s. A 73% response rate was achieved. The total mean research utilization sc ore for all nurses across all 14 nursing practices suggests that on average , nurses had heard, believed in and were beginning to use the practices. Th e sampling technique over-represents nurses in large hospitals and charge n urses, hence a weighting calculation on all scores was completed. There was little difference in weighted and unweighted scores. Scores on individual practices ranged from 60% (405/680) of nurses never having heard of a pract ice to 85% (574/680) always using a practice. This approach provides a vali d and reliable method of assessing the extent of nursing research utilizati on. In several of the practices, nurses are making significant attempts at research-based practice. The level of research utilization compares favoura bly with research completed in North America and provides a baseline for Un ited Kingdom and other country studies.