Research: conception to completion

A lack of theory-based nursing research exists in the area of vascular disease. Nursing research is critical to evaluate the effectiveness of specific nursing interventions with the patient population with peripheral vascular disease. This knowledge will strengthen the scientific basis for nursing practice. For the purpose of facilitating increased participation in nursing research by members of the Society for Vascular Nursing, the authors presented the following article, "

Conception to Completion," at the Tenth Annual Symposium in Chicago. The author's current research entitled, "The Effects of Nurse Follow-Up on Increasing Self Care in Patients With Peripheral Vascular Disease: A Prospective Randomized Study," is used as a prototype to illustrate the conceptual, empiric, and interpretive phases of the research process. As the Society for Vascular Nursing moves into its second decade, members will become more focused on research that will generate new knowledge and validate current practices as vascular specialists. There is a great need for the generation and dissemination of knowledge that will help nurses better understand adaptation to health and illness. From this knowledge must come clinical strategies that assist people to promote their own health or cope with illness and its effects on their lives. Vascular specialists must be at the forefront of this effort. Furthermore, the era of cost containment has resulted in increasing pressure to document what nurses do and the differences they make in the outcomes of patient care. The most important outcome of clinical nursing research is the potential benefit it offers to patients. This article will review the steps in conducting nursing research.