The nurse clinician: role conflict in research

In a recent pilot study focusing on stroke rehabilitation, four clinical nurse specialists (CNSs) experienced role conflict when assuming the nurse researcher-interviewer role. Presenting an overview of the pilot study and the experiences that occurred, the authors question the reliability of the interviews. They propose that outcomes of research can be biased by role conflict when CNSs serve as interviewers and collect data. The authors suggest that interviewing training specifically address role conflict.