Have you ever watched a health report on the evening news and wondered where they got that information, or how relevant, up-to-date and reliable that information was? I certainly have! It seems that every day a new health-related research study surfaces that seems to completely negate an earlier study. So which study is right? How can you tell?
I realized that the only way I was going to know which study to believe was to locate, read and analyze the studies for myself. It's not easy to slog through medical and nursing research reports; the language is specialized and the results can seem confusing. Of course, the bigger question is this: once you have read and understood the research, what do you do with it? Do you automatically apply the results to yourself and to your patients, or is there another process you need to follow in order to incorporate those results into your standards of practice?
Well, it's a long, often bumpy process, but our Critical Enquiry course aims to help you get your feet wet in the fast-flowing river that is nursing research. Feel free to use this blog as a means of communicating with your teachers and classmates on all things research related. Links to a few nursing research blogs have been provided for you, so you can take a look at what other nurses are raving (and ranting!) about when it comes to research within the nursing profession.
I realized that the only way I was going to know which study to believe was to locate, read and analyze the studies for myself. It's not easy to slog through medical and nursing research reports; the language is specialized and the results can seem confusing. Of course, the bigger question is this: once you have read and understood the research, what do you do with it? Do you automatically apply the results to yourself and to your patients, or is there another process you need to follow in order to incorporate those results into your standards of practice?
Well, it's a long, often bumpy process, but our Critical Enquiry course aims to help you get your feet wet in the fast-flowing river that is nursing research. Feel free to use this blog as a means of communicating with your teachers and classmates on all things research related. Links to a few nursing research blogs have been provided for you, so you can take a look at what other nurses are raving (and ranting!) about when it comes to research within the nursing profession.
