Research based nursing practice - an evaluation of an educational programme

Although research based practice is being increasingly extolled by both the government and the profession, no clear educational strategy exists as to how practitioners should be supported in achieving this goal. Furthermore, the effectiveness of educational interventions in fostering a positive attitude to research, or a change towards a greater prevalence of research based practice, remains unknown. However, research has indicated that practitioners are dissatisfied with their research skills and the opportunities to enhance them. This paper describes a series of nine workshops on research utilization which were undertaken in a range of Trusts throughout England. The primary purpose of the workshops was to help nurses, health visitors and midwives to: Critically appraise research Implement research in their place of work. The workshops were evaluated by two methods - a written semi-structured questionnaire and a qualitative study focused on three sites which used pre-workshop telephone interviews and post-workshop focus groups. Overall the workshops were effective in reducing fear and lack of understanding of research, alleviating the problem of jargon, and increasing the skills of critical appraisal. Although the participants' attitude to research was not changed by attending the workshops - it was positive before the workshop and remained so-several personal and professional benefits were accrued. The implications of this evaluation for practice, education, and research are discussed. (C) 2000 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.