Understanding the Influence of Nursing Unit Culture on the Use of research Findings

Start/End Dates: 2004 - 2005

Investigators: Carole A. Estabrooks, Shannon Scott-Findlay

Funder: Small Faculties Research Grant program, University of Alberta

Grant Amount: $2,500

Background: The organizational context has been consistently identified as an important factor that influences nursing research utilization, yet it has not been adequately studied. Moreover, the influence of the local context (e.g., hospital units) on research utilization behaviour has not been examined. Limited work investigating the link between organizational culture and the use of research has indicated that culture may influence research use. This pilot project begins to address this gap by unpacking what nursing unit culture is and exploring how it influences the research uptake behaviours of organizational members.

The purpose of this pilot project s to study nursing unit culture in order to more thoroughly understand its characteristics as well as its influence on the use of research by unit members. This knowledge will inform future research focused on the development and testing of organizational interventions to enhance the use of research findings by health care professionals. A better understanding of how organizations influence research utilization is essential for successful interventions to increase this use.

The products of this research program are:

Articles:

• Scott, S., Estabrooks, C., Allen, M. & Pollock, C. (2008). A context of uncertainty: How context shapes nurses' research utilization behaviors. Qualitative Health Research, 18(3), 347-357. DOI: 10.1177/1049732307313354.

• Scott-Findlay, S., & Estabrooks, C., (2006). Mapping the organizational culture research in nursing: a literature review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 56(5), 498-513.

• Scott-Findlay, S. & Golden-Biddle, K. (2005). Understanding how organizational culture shapes research use. Journal of Nursing Adminstration 35, (7/8), 356-362.