Identification of Barriers and Facilitators to Utilizing Research in Nursing Practice

ABSTRACT Background: Despite a growing body of literature, utilization of nursing research remains relatively low even within academic health care institutions. Objective: The purpose of this study was to (1) investigate barriers for utilization of research in nursing practice in multiple nursing roles (staff nurses and nursing leadership) within an academic health care setting, and (2) identify strategies that may influence nurses' perceptions to utilizing research in nursing practice. Design: This study was a prospective, descriptive, cross‐sectional study. Population, Sample, Setting: The subjects were 181 nurses employed at a tertiary care hospital in Southern Ontario, Canada. Methods: A self‐administered questionnaire identifying demographics, and perceptions of barriers and facilitators to utilizing nursing research in practice was sent to 640 nurses. Results were entered into an SPSS database, and descriptive statistics were used for data analysis. Ethical considerations included approval from the Institutional Ethics Review Board. Findings: Twenty‐eight percentage of the invited participants responded to the questionnaire. The subjects identified four particular barriers that affected their utilization of research in practice to a great extent: awareness of the research (33%), lack of time to read the research (39%), feeling that the nurse does not have the authority to change practice procedures (41%), and insufficient time on the job to implement new ideas (49%). Conclusions: Results from this study suggest that a strategic approach to enhancing utilization of nursing research in practice is essential. Organized activities enhance nurses' awareness of research in their field, and developing processes for nurses to participate in practice change is very important. In addition, providing time for nurses to read and implement research will have a positive impact on the utilization of nursing research in practice.