Interventions aimed at increasing research use in nursing: a systematic review

Area of Science:

• Nursing Research
• Evidence-Based Practice
• Healthcare Interventions

Background:

• Growing interest in interventions to enhance clinician research utilization.
• Existing systematic reviews predominantly focus on medical practices, with limited representation of nursing.
• This review specifically addresses interventions for increasing research use within nursing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and assess the evidence for interventions designed to increase research utilization in nursing practice.

Main Methods:

• Conducted a systematic review of multiple databases (Medline, CINAHL, etc.) and grey literature.
• Included randomized controlled trials and controlled before- and after-studies involving nurses and interventions targeting research use.
• Assessed methodological quality and extracted data on interventions and outcomes using a pre-established taxonomy.

Main Results:

• Screened over 8,000 titles; included four studies (3 RCTs, 1 c-BA).
• Methodological quality of included studies was generally low.
• Researcher-led education was ineffective; local opinion leader-led education and multidisciplinary committees were effective in increasing research use.

Conclusions:

• Inconclusive evidence exists regarding interventions to enhance research use in nursing.
• Recommends theoretically informed interventions, longitudinal measurement of research use and patient outcomes, and robust study designs.
• Establishing a link between research use and improved patient outcomes requires identifying effective research utilization interventions first.