Clinical Nurse Educators' Perceptions of Research Utilization

In Brief Translation of research to practice remains a challenge. The educator, as a role model and change agent, is strategically placed to facilitate staff development and organizational change, thereby helping to close the gap from research to practice. Understanding barriers to research utilization may facilitate the application of evidence-based practice. In this study, the BARRIERS scale was used to assess perceptions of research utilization in a convenience sample of 122 clinical nurse educators in California. Greatest barriers were organizational and nurse characteristics, including lack of authority to change, insufficient time, and limited research knowledge and awareness. Educators from Magnet hospitals and educators with advanced degrees perceived the organization as less of a barrier. Strategies to facilitate and implement change are discussed. The author differentiates between evidence-based practice and research utilization and identifies educators' perspectives on barriers to research utilization and strategies to overcome these barriers.