Using a Delphi Survey to Develop Clinical Nursing Research Priorities Among Nursing Management

Area of Science:

• Clinical Nursing
• Healthcare Management
• Research Prioritization

Background:

• Establishing research priorities is crucial for developing a strong evidence base in clinical practice.
• Nurse managers (NMs) are uniquely positioned to identify these priorities.
• A review indicated a lack of research on priorities identified by clinical NMs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify critical clinical nursing research priorities among nurse managers.
• To inform the direction of future nursing research agendas.

Main Methods:

• A Delphi survey was employed to gather insights from nurse managers.
• Thirty-eight nurse managers from a large, urban hospital participated.
• Participants identified critical priorities for nursing research.

Main Results:

• Nursing workforce/workflow (68%) and communication (53%) were identified as critical research priorities.
• Other significant priorities included falls, patient safety, hospital-acquired infections, patient/family satisfaction, emergency preparedness, patient outcomes, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Conclusions:

• Nurse managers' input is vital for directing clinical research agendas.
• The identified priorities offer a guide for policy development in nursing research.
• Focusing research on these areas will strengthen the evidence base and improve patient outcomes.