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Published on: February 16, 2011
A common sense approach to nursing research
1University of California, San Francisco, School of Nursing.
International Nursing Review
|January 1, 1990
Summary
Nursing research is driven by the power of knowledge. Understanding how data influences governance and professional politics is crucial for advancing nursing science and practice.
Area of Science:
- Nursing
- Health Policy
- Research Methodology
Background:
- The author's experience as president of the American Nurses' Association (ANA) highlighted the political nature of knowledge in governance.
- A presentation at the Workshop of European Nurse Researchers (WERN) in 1988 prompted articulation of the relationship between knowledge and power in nursing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To articulate a political or power perspective on nursing research.
- To present a common-sense approach to nursing research for community debate.
Main Methods:
- The study is a conceptual piece, drawing on the author's career experiences in academia and professional politics.
- It synthesizes lessons learned regarding the role of data in persuasion and justification within political contexts.
Main Results:
- Knowledge is identified as the currency of politics, influencing institutional, professional, industrial, and governmental decisions.
- Data serves to describe, explain, persuade, and justify in political arenas.
Conclusions:
- A framework is proposed for understanding nursing research through a political or power lens.
- The author advocates for further debate within the nursing community on this perspective.
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