A common sense approach to nursing research

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.