The research utilization process: the use of guided imagery to reduce anxiety

In the rapidly changing health care environment, nurses need to keep current with developments, assess their applicability to practice, and make changes where appropriate. There is evidence that nursing research is underutilized and that a considerable gap exists between nursing research and practice (Bostrum & Suter, 1993; Brett, 1987; Sokop & Coyle, 1990). The objectives of a study carried out on a bone marrow transplant unit in a teaching hospital were to: (1) by introducing a framework for research-based care, enhance research utilization in a selected setting, and (2) evaluate the outcomes of research utilization on a specific clinical nursing problem chosen by nurses and researchers. This paper describes the research utilization process and its outcomes, presents an evaluation of the participatory approach from the perspective of the participating nurses, and discusses facilitators and barriers to research utilization. Guided imagery was the intervention used to decrease patient anxiety.