Overview of Nursing Research

Abstract

Research in nursing is devoted to rigorous scientific inquiry that provides a significant body of knowledge to advance nursing practice and services, shape health policy, and impact the health of people in all countries. Research in nursing has been from time immemorial starting with the mother of scientific nursing, Florence Nightingale and over the years and decades nursing research has gone through different phases of transformation. The purpose of doing research in nursing is to find answers to questions or solution to problems of relevance to the nursing profession. The role of the research nurse is indispensable to successful research studies and this requires the nurse to be equipped with a solid foundation based on years of experience in nursing, leadership and organizational skills, computer-based skills and an in-depth knowledge of research. The research capacity of a nurse can be developed by knowledge development in research, interdisciplinary collaboration and mentoring. Current trends anticipated in nursing research for the 21^st century include: continued focus on evidence-based practice, emerging interest in translational research, greater emphasis on systematic reviews, expanded local research in healthcare setting, strengthened interdisciplinary collaboration, expanded dissemination of research findings and increased visibility of nursing research.