Barriers to research utilisation among nurses in Turkey

Area of Science:

• Nursing Research
• Healthcare Management
• Evidence-Based Practice

Background:

• Research utilization in nursing practice is essential for quality patient care.
• Several factors can impede the integration of research findings into clinical settings.
• Identifying these barriers is a critical first step toward improving research utilization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify barriers to research utilization among nurses in Turkey.
• To explore the relationship between nurses' characteristics and their perception of research utilization barriers.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive survey design was employed.
• Data were collected from 216 nurses in Izmir-based government and private hospitals.
• The Barriers to Research Utilization Scale and a demographic questionnaire were utilized.

Main Results:

• Over half of nurses lacked undergraduate research education, and 85.2% received no in-service training.
• Only 58.3% of nurses valued research, and 24.5% expressed interest, indicating inadequate involvement.
• Top barriers were associated with the 'setting' (5), 'nurse' (3), and 'presentation' (2) domains.
• Educational level, undergraduate research education, and research involvement predicted perceived barriers.

Conclusions:

• Identifying barriers is the first step to overcoming them and enhancing research capability in Turkish healthcare.
• Creating an organizational climate that values research use and supports nurse participation is crucial.
• Findings offer insights for nurse administrators to develop strategies for increasing research utilization in clinical practice.