Utilizing research findings in nursing: Policy and practice considerations

The implementation of research findings into practice has become an important consideration for nursing following the recent publication of the Department of Health (England) report Methods to Promote the implementation of Research-Findings in the NHS. This report acknowledges the problems of change in practice, the relatively small amount of research conducted on the subject and the need to identify ways of implementing clinical innovation. While triggered by concerns over the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of interventions, this subject has great importance for nurses during the current National Health Service (NHS) reforms. A number of attempts have been made to increase the utilization of research findings into practice. What has emerged has been the identification of strategies that would prove difficult to generalize widely, and a number of organizational constraints. It has also become apparent that research implementation is an organizational issue, and not just a concern of the individual nurse, who may be seen as somehow 'failing' to provide the very best care by being unaware of the latest research findings. This paper reviews some of the issues of implementing research findings into practice, reviews research studies in this area and discusses a strategy for the future.