Evidence-based care of older people : utopia or reality? Healthcare personnel's perceptions of using research in their daily practice

Abstract

The overall aim of this thesis was to generate knowledge of research utilization of registered nurses (RNs) and other healthcare personnel in the care of older people. The specific objectives for the four included papers were: (I) to describe the perception of healthcare personnel with respect to research utilization and to compare research use between professional groups, (II) to identify determinants of research utilization, (III) to describe RNs self-reported research use in the care of older people and to examine the associations between research use and factors related to the communication channels, the adopter and the social system and (IV) to describe RNs perceptions of barriers to and facilitators of research utilization and to examine the validity of the BARRIERS Scale in relation to research use, i.e. the capacity of the Scale to discriminate perceptions of barriers between research users and non-research users.

Method: A descriptive correlational survey design was used. The first study (Papers I-II) was performed in one municipality. Seven units within rehabilitation (n=1), nursing homes (n=2) and group dwellings (n=4) were selected. All healthcare staff (n=132) were asked to participate. The response rate was 67% (n=89). The second study (Papers III-IV) was conducted in eight municipalities. In these municipalities all RNs (n=210) working in the care of older people were invited. The response rate was 67% (n=140). Five questionnaires were used to collect data: the Research Utilization Questionnaire (Papers I-IV), the Creative Climate Questionnaire (Paper II), the BARRIERS Scale (Paper IV), a Demographic Data Questionnaire (Papers I-IV) and an Organizational Data Questionnaire (Paper III). Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The PARIHS framework and Rogers theory Diffusion of Innovations were used to interpret the findings.

Results: The healthcare staff reported positive attitudes to research but low use of research findings. Limited access to research-related resources and lack of support from unit managers and colleagues were reported. RNs and rehabilitation professionals (RPs) reported more research use than enrolled nurses (ENs) and nurse aides (NAs). Furthermore, the RNs and RPs reported better access to resources and perceived managers as more supportive as compared with the ENs and NAs. RNs with access to research and development resources at the municipal level reported more use of research findings than RNs without such resources. Four determinants of research use among staff were identified: positive attitudes to research and seeking research that is related to clinical practice (individual determinants) and access to research findings at the workplace and support from the unit manager (organizational determinants). In the RN group three determinants of research use were revealed: access to research findings (the communication channels), attitudes to research and having a nursing program at the university level (the adopter). The barriers to research utilization reported by the RNs were predominantly related to characteristics of the organization and the presentation and accessibility of research. More than 80% of the RNs reported a lack of knowledgeable colleagues, a lack of adequate facilities for implementation and a lack of easy access to relevant research papers. Research users among the RNs reported fewer barriers concerning their own attitudes and skills, presentation of research and the quality of research than non-research users. No significant difference was found between research users and non-research users regarding perceptions on organizational barriers.

This thesis not only reveals the needs but also the potential of increasing research use in the care of older people. The healthcare staff reported a lower degree of research use and the RNs reported more barriers to research utilization compared with nurses in earlier studies conducted in hospitals. There is an urgent need to develop strategies to enhance research use by focusing on the determinants and barriers identified in this thesis, which include access to information sources, interventions for increasing knowledge on research methodology and caring science, adequate training in the use of information sources and a supportive organization. The BARRIERS Scale appears to be useful in identifying some types of barrier except organizational barriers. Identified barriers, however, were general and wide-ranging, making it difficult to design specific interventions. Based on the present findings, it should not be a utopia to provide older people with evidence-based care. The responsibility for such an objective is shared by many actors in the healthcare and university systems. To achieve this goal allocated resources have to be used strategically.