Log of Learning Activities 2012

Log of Learning Activities 2012

ACTIVITY 1

Question 1: What are your feelings about studying research?

I think studying research is important in that it will aid in our understanding of researches and develop our understanding of the different jargons used in research. In particular, nursing research significance is understood from the pace at which the field of nursing is advancing. I am particularly interested in the research related to the role of nursing in the intensive care unit and research on the emotional trauma and stressed faced by nurses in war situations (Spurles & Babineau, 2011). These are two areas that really interest me.

Question 2: Do you think research is important to nursing? WHY

Research in the field of nursing is important because it has a lot of influence on the current as well as future practice of nursing. Hence, it is an important part of education for nurses. In addition, there is no better way of increasing the knowledge of nurse practitioners and nursing students and keeping them abreast with the developments in the field than to have them study nursing research. It also helps in improving the quality of care.

Question 3: Who should perform or use research? WHY

The research must be conducted by nurses and other related professionals. Research on nursing includes nurses in different roles. They make investigators, participants as well as users of knowledge generated through research. In addition, people related to technology used in the nursing practice may also perform nursing research. These people should perform nursing research as they are closely associated with the nursing professionals and practice. They are in a better position to assess what are the areas that need to be researched to either bring improvement in an ongoing practice or change it altogether (Schneider & Whitehead, 2008).

ACTIVITY 2

Question 1: This research article discusses the importance of transferring high quality research findings into practice. What skills do the authors consider essential for successful transfer and implementation of research findings?

In spite of the number of researches being conducted in the field of nursing and midwifery, most researches do no find their way into practice. This means that implementation of research is not so easy. Implementation of research requires a comprehensive and in depth understanding of research. If the research is read in a haste then it will not be implemented. The person reading the research must have absorption capacity. This is to say that whatever he is reading, he should be able to get it too (Schneider, 2007). This must then be enacted into evidence based practice. New knowledge must be systematically framed and integrated into the job description of nurses working in different capacities.

The key to successful implementation of research findings is to match the findings of the research with the underlying objective. The implementation of research should be goal oriented in that the expected benefit must be outlined and then the research must be implemented. In addition, the barriers to implementation of nursing research can be ...