Creating a research agenda with relevance to cancer nursing practice

To be clinically relevant, a research program must seek to answer questions considered significant and meaningful by front-line clinicians. This article describes the process used by one Nursing Department to identify significant clinical questions in cancer nursing that could form the basis for a clinical research agenda. Priorities for cancer nursing research were identified in the literature and through interviews with all nursing staff. The interview data were subjected to a content analysis in which seven overall themes were identified. Patient and family themes formed the basis for the research agenda, together with the identified priorities from the literature. The primary topic themes for the research program include (a) Coping at Home, (b) Information Needs, (c) Symptom Distress, (d) Evaluating Care Delivery, and (e) Instrument Development. The article will be of interest to nurses wishing to develop a program of clinically relevant research.