Research in school nursing practice: basic steps in nursing research

Research is essential to every nurse's clinical practice. There is a reciprocity between nursing practice and research; they inform each other, producing insights about nursing interventions and the impact of nursing interventions on the lives of nursing clients. Nursing research has become a major force in changing nursing practice by solving practice problems and by increasing the body of nursing knowledge. Understanding the research process can assist school nurses to identify the knowledge embedded in the clinical work of other school nurses. This article is directed toward increasing that understanding through a discussion of the general steps of the quantitative research process.