Diabetes Nursing Research, as Defined

Diabetes

Nursing research, as defined by Desmond Cormack (2006, p. 5) as the "research into those aspects of activity which are predominantly and appropriately the concern and responsibility of nurses," is a relatively new practice; much of what nurses do and teach is based on tradition, convention and instruction rather than on evidence. Nursing research utilization, or the application of this research to nursing practice, follows an even more recent activity. This gives nurses the opportunity to assess and validate their present practices and, as a result, make necessary changes for optimum patient care (Granger, BB & Chulay, M. 1999). Neither of these nursing activities could have transpired if it were not for certain individuals and events that encouraged this trend in the field. Regardless of how committed these certain individuals and organizations are to nursing research, the implementation of research and its utilization has been slow.

Before 1950, most of the nursing studies were done by social or behavioral scientists on nurses' personal characteristics, education or administration. In 1957, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research Chief Nurse Harriett Werley (Mjr.) convinced Army Medical Service leaders that nurses should conduct their own clinical research. She made profound contributions to the evolution of nursing as a scientific discipline and overcame strong resistance and obstacles by nurses and physicians who opposed nursing research. Werley and her staff investigated such areas as oral care, body temperature, isolation procedures, and skin care. From 1962-1968, 33 nurses completed the Walter Reed nursing research program, which included conducting a nursing study (Glass, 2002, p. 243). Today's nurses face many challenges in healthcare; both Werley's example of commitment and the foundation she set in nursing research remain very advantageous to present nurses.

It was not until 1986 that the National Center for Nursing Research was officially established as a part of the National Institutes of Health, with an overriding of the presidential veto. Over its brief history, the center has accomplished things as establishing how gender affects the effectiveness of pain relievers; developing a successful elementary school program that lowers cardiovascular risks in children; producing a model of reducing high blood pressure in young, urban African-American men; and developing a program for teenagers with diabetes, which enables them to better manage their condition and yet live normal, healthy lives (NIH).

Since it took so long for nursing research to be accepted, it is not surprising that the utilization of this research has been slow moving, as well. Although nursing research and advances in health sciences have resulted in extensive knowledge, the nursing profession still struggles with how to implement the results of these discoveries into clinical practice (Ervin, 2002). This utilization has yet to become a reality in all areas of practice. In many clinical practice situations, research and use of current evidence is neither prized nor supported as part of the nursing culture. One of the earliest and best-known nursing research utilization activities was the Conduct and Utilization Research in Nursing project, awarded to the Michigan Nurses' Association by the Division of Nursing in the 1970s for a five-year study. The major objective of the project was to increase the use of research findings in the daily practice of registered nurses by disseminating research findings, facilitating organizational changes needed to implement innovations and encouraging collaborative clinical research (Polit, 2004, p. 676).

Many models for nursing research utilization have emerged since the 1970s. These various models developed from efforts to use or disseminate nursing research and ultimately improve patient outcomes. The first research utilization model was developed in the 1970s with the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education in Nursing Regional Program for Nursing Research Development. This was focused on cross-organizational planning and enhancing the value for research utilization. Nurses from a variety of clinical agencies had three days of research training. Each clinician identified a clinical problem, reviewed the research in that area and then developed a plan for implementing and evaluating the outcomes of the practice change (Fitzpatrick, 2005, p. 524). Another highlight in this area occurred with the Annual Communicating Nursing Research conference, with emphasis on dissemination of research results across academic and nursing service settings (Fitzpatrick, 2005, p. 525).