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Just as with any career, research is essential for the advancement of the nursing profession. When it comes to healthcare, evidence-based research can help revolutionize nursing. This helps ensure a better standard of care. Many people wonder why nursing requires such strong research skills. Patients and caregivers, along with families, rely on the training and expertise of nurse practitioners. This research helps healthcare providers make better-informed decisions about their loved ones.
Nursing research evolves with the needs of society and supports advances in medical science. It allows nurse practitioners to conduct studies, share data and analyze solutions to ensure patients have access to exceptional nursing care.
Most online programs and courses focus on practical research. By staying updated with the latest standards of care, news and technologies, registered nurses can deliver more efficient and effective nursing care, promote healthy lifestyles for their patients and help relieve symptoms of chronic illnesses.
Reasons why research matters in nursing care
As mentioned, nursing research is an integral component of nursing care programs. This is because nurse practitioners, along with other healthcare professionals, need to provide quality care for patients. They need to be well informed about their field, speciality and the scientific methods required to treat their patients.
Nurse practitioners require a lot of training and skill along with keeping up to date with research. Many specializations require nurses to be responsible for carrying out clinical laboratory tests and helping improve patient outcomes, along with lowering the risks associated with their illness.
The National Institute of Nursing Research states that when nurses are involved in research, it lays the foundation for clinical practices. That, in turn, helps to enhance end-of-life care, manage the symptoms of illnesses and prevent disability and disease.
Doing research allows nurse practitioners to look for positive outcomes for their patients. It enables them to use their professional experience and expertise to meet their patient’s needs and preferences. Once they have this knowledge, they can then share it with others and put it to practice in their daily care.
Nurse practitioners are also responsible for informing patients about new developments, solutions and technology in their field and how it relates to treatment and care advice. This allows patients to test new technology for a more painless and quicker recovery, along with reducing risk factors associated with illnesses. Communicating this data is essential as it creates a better understanding between patients and healthcare providers.
Factors associated with information literacy
When discussing literacy, it must be understood that this is an essential skill. Information literacy lets you access, evaluate and use your own personal knowledge, collaboration, communication and personal decision-making process. Nursing requires a lifelong commitment to learning. As a nurse practitioner, you always need to keep an eye out for new technologies, treatments and solutions.
Information literacy allows registered nurses to effectively search for information from multiple sources and evaluate this information based on their standards, findings and summaries. This can pertain to any issue, logical explanation or solution. Education should begin, however, in schools, especially in flexible and up-to-date curricula in many quality online MHL degrees and other relevant courses.
Nurses are also essential in avoiding illnesses, promoting healthier choices for society, and offering patients, their families and the community assistance in understanding how to lead a better life and make healthier choices regarding their lifestyles.
Evidence-based implementation
- Efficacy
As a nurse practitioner, when research is conducted, you need to ask yourself if the study is valid, trusted and from a reliable source. A significant percentage of studies do not have scientific evidence to support them, so you need to be sure that the source information is valid and accurate.
- Trusted
Another factor to consider is whether the results of the research are consistent. Nursing not only requires ongoing education and programs, but the research you do determines the next step, the solution and how it can help your patients. This is why it needs to be accurate. From the process of gathering information to sources of the knowledge, you need to look for information that can be trusted.
- Relevance
Is there a logical connection between the research you are doing and the problem at hand? When you research a topic, you also need to determine which new areas of study deserve your attention. This allows you to use extensive data from a range of information that matches the topic you are focused on.
- Solution
Research results are not always definitive. This is something you will learn as a student enrolled in a BSN to MSN-FNP program, such as the one offered by Spring Arbor University. This online program is designed for registered nurses who already have a BSN degree. Completing this degree will prepares you to treat patients of all ages, learn new experiences and focus on care research. Suitable for completion on your own schedule, this program combines online training with clinical placement opportunities. This level of study will help you to prepare to participate more fully in nursing research and help you collect data efficiently.
The types of research conducted
With evidence-based practices, the guidelines and research that are conducted and analyzed are done by professionals in the field of nursing. This research is often done by nurse practitioners that specialize in clinical research. You even have the option of participating in collaborative studies with other healthcare professionals. Research is usually divided into quantitative and qualitative research.
- Quantitative research
This type of research is interpreted with the help of variables, numbers and percentages. This form of research typically defines a person, the situation or a group of people and their characteristics. Quantitative research is based on certain traits that are observed and the type of connections and conclusions that can be made. The sole purpose of this research is to determine the correlation and the cause-and-effect relationships between variables.
- Qualitative research
This research is based on experiences, perceptions and thoughts. In this type of research, practices and customs are observed to understand how certain cultures deal with illnesses, how diseases come about, and what certain groups or countries can do to understand illness and health better. The main premise of this research is based on questions, observations and problems and solutions that can help you find the best possible outcome. Professionals study communication, reactions, symbolism and the paradigms of interaction. They also study how over time, these factors can affect people, what they believe in and how they can change their health practices for the better.
Each subject that is researched is based on the author’s insights, experiences and how they examine certain topics or groups. This can give you an idea of personal data and information and how you can use it in society, with patients or share it with other healthcare professionals.
The role of nursing research
Nurse practitioners can choose to pursue the research aspect that interests them. Since research plays a significant part in nursing practices, it continues to be important on every level. This allows nurses to develop programs and collaborate with other healthcare professionals to find solutions and test new technology. This can help to heal people quickly, prevent an illness or even find a solution to an injury before it happens.
There is no shortage of information available for professionals who want to learn and grow along their career path. Taking time out to research can help you find better treatments for your patients. This can help you create the ideal plan for them to help them get better faster. This also allows you to collaborate with other healthcare professionals and find better treatments and care plans that can be designed according to your patient’s needs.
What is the future of nursing research?
With new advances and technology being introduced across all healthcare sectors, nurse practitioners need to find new ways to partner with their patients and community. This will support them in finding the best solutions to providing care, whether it is at the bedside, clinic or in the community.
Nurses can help advocate for patients, who cannot speak for themselves, as well as for their communities. Finding and using this knowledge allows you to serve a wide range of patients and provide them with meaningful care.
Shape your future through research
For nurse practitioners to improve their practice, offer better healthcare to patients and stay current on events and new technology, they need to conduct trusted and efficient research.
This also lets registered nurses that possess information literacy skills use their research-based practices to develop conclusions and solutions more effectively. These professionals should be able to understand, analyze, evaluate and use this research in their careers to help them advance their skills and expertise in their careers.
When looking for a career in nursing research, the first step is to pursue an advanced degree. This will enable you to collaborate with medical centers, the healthcare industry or even government agencies. Your educational qualifications pave the way for your success in this line of work.
