Nurturing a positive research culture: the Academic Department of Military Nursing perspective

The structure and quality of nurse education in the UK has been scrutinised for many decades, culminating in a significant shift from ward-based learning at certificate level to that at diploma or degree level being delivered in higher education institutions. This professionalisation of nursing in the last decade of the 20th century was influenced by major changes in Department of Health policy, which demanded that a sound evidence base must be applied to nursing practice thereby replicating the model of evidence-based medicine. The requirement for care delivery to be evidence based is built on the premise that a continual research programme to investigate, disseminate and implement findings will enhance decision making in the clinical environment, thereby improving standards of care and patient outcomes. However, for this to be achieved there is an organisational responsibility to drive a positive research culture in order to effectively generate new knowledge and expertise. This paper explores the nursing research culture in the NHS and the strategies employed by the Defence Medical Services for supporting its nurses to generate the high-quality evidence that informs best practice.