Summer 2006
Volume IV, Issue II

Special Issue: Nursing Research With an Impact

Cover photo by
Chris Hartlove

Second Opinion

In this forum for discussing the “hot button” issues facing the nursing profession today, we welcome your thoughts and opinions. Check this space in each issue to see how readers answer the provocative questions we pose.

Our question this issue:
In your experience, how long does it take for breakthroughs in nursing research to find their way to clinical application?

The results:
(A) Immediately (4.6%)
(B) Weeks after publication (2.9%)
(C) Months after publication (19.2%)
(D) Years after publication (67.5%)
(E) Never (5.8%)

Total Votes: 240

Though 67.5 percent of our respondents believe that it takes years for nursing research to be used in a clinical setting (see chart below), a majority of nurses say they incorporate published results in their daily practice. A recent survey by Nursing Spectrum found that 70 percent of nurses claim to do so "most of the time" and 26 percent do so "all of the time."

The concept of evidence-based practice—making clinical decisions using research evidence—emerged in the 1980s and picked up momentum with the creation of the National Institute for Nursing Research in 1986.

A new evidence-based practice model, jointly developed by nurses from the Johns Hopkins Hospital and the School of Nursing, is being implemented at the hospital and quickly gaining national recognition.

The creators of the Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-based Practice Model—Robin Newhouse, PhD, RN, CNOR, CAN; Sandi Dearholt, MS, RN; Stephanie Poe, MScN, RN; Linda Pugh, PhD, RNC; and Kathleen White, PhD, RN, CNAA, CMAC—hope to ensure that the latest research findings and best practices are quickly and appropriately incorporated into patient care.

Says team leader Robin Newhouse: "Nurses can be most effective when the hospital's protocols and policies integrate the latest research findings into nursing practice."

Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing