Nursing research priorities of the National Black Nurses Association

The purpose of this article is to describe the nursing research priorities of the National Black Nurses Association (NBNA). The NBNA is a professional nursing association representing more than 150,000 black nurses throughout the United States and the Eastern Caribbean. This article describes knowledge gaps in nursing research and presents various findings from research studies aimed at defining research priorities in nursing. Recommended research priorities are discussed that are directed toward improving the health of African Americans and other vulnerable populations. The NBNA urges the National Institutes of Health to increase funding to support research initiatives with an emphasis on women's health, particularly the health of women from diverse cultures. Nursing research programs are steadily yielding results, which enable the nursing profession to meet the goal of using the programs include identification of research priorities, acknowledging the vast disparity in nursing research today.