Nursing Research and Science, Essay Example

How does nursing research and science support the evolution of nursing practice?

According to Cherry & Jacob (2014) nursing research provides evidence based interventions. Precisely, research is conducted based on scientific principles. They either prove theories cdorrect or nullify them. For example, if nursing research is conducted to find out why urinary tract infections occur when certain types of catheters are used or nursing procedures adopted a scientific method must be adapted for the research project. It could be a trial, systemic literature review or cohort study. These methods follow specific guidelines which determine research science, Results and conclusions obtained from the specific research intervention become evidence for application to practice. Based on the nature of the research methodology the levels of evidence are classed from 1-V (Cherry & Jacob, 2014).

How do a theories support practice, or does practice provide support for theories?

Nursing research produces theories become evidence for practice implementation. Importantly a theory explain why an intervention is executed. For example, Florence Nightingale (1820 – 1910) environmental theory explains the reason for pure air in a nursing environment since one of the assumptions embedded in this theory associate speedy recovery to elements of the patient’s physical and social environment (Baly & Matthew, 2004).

Why do we need theories in nursing?

Specifically in evidence based practice, theories facilitate appropriate alignment of evidence with practice because it explains the ‘why’ of the evidence. If nursing practice is to be scientific then theories must form the foundation of interventions. Theories develop after scientific evidence has been created from research or practice forges a realizing, which must be documented as evidence for a particular skill.

How do all three aspects provide for improved patient care outcomes?

When a nurse functions from a premise of knowing, emerging from theory and evidence interventions could be performed with confidence. During the early stages of nursing development the practice was based on experimentation. If a practice yielded good results, it was considered ‘great!’  The situation was one of trial and error until theory, research to validate theory and evidence based practice evolved to minimized nursing mal practice due to lack of scientific knowledge

References

Baly, M., & Matthew, G. (2004). Nightingale, Florence (1820–1910). Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Oxford University Press.

Cherry, B., & Jacob, S. (2014). Contemporary nursing: Issues, trends & management (6th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Mosby.