What Are Nursing Research - 1359 Words

What is nursing research and why is it important to nursing? Research is essential in all aspects of life. Research guides decisions on what cars will be bought, what houses will be purchased, or where children will attend school. So, why would research not be an important part of deciding what is best in regards to healthcare? Research is conducted to gather data about a particular subject. Data that is collected through research should strive to be obtained from resources that are valid, credible, and peer reviewed. Nursing research is defined as â€Å"a systematic process of inquiry that uses rigorous guidelines to produce unbiased, trustworthy answers to questions about nursing practice† (Houser, 2015, page 5). Nursing research and†¦show more content†¦Research must be unbiased, trustworthy, and relevant to today’s world. Nursing research is not an easy task and requires a great amount of time and hard work. Even though this process may be difficult at time s, the rewards of improving nursing care for years to come makes it all worthwhile. Evidence-based practice is â€Å"the use of the best scientific evidence integrated with clinical experience and incorporating patient values and preferences in the practice of professional nursing care† (Houser, 2015, page 12). Evidence-based practice is important to nursing care for many different reasons. One of the main reasons is that using evidence-based nursing care provides better patient outcomes verses using the traditional trial and error method. Evidence-based practice is based on scientific studies and desirable patient outcomes. Healthcare professionals who provide patient care using evidence-based nursing practice are acting in the best interests of their patients. Errors in clinical decision making have greatly been reduced by using evidence-based practice for providing nursing care to patients. Patients are often placed at a higher risk for harm or injury when using the traditional trial and error method of nursing care. Therefore, the trial and error method s hould be avoided at all costs because it is unethical and unacceptable from a nursing standpoint (Houser, 2015). Evidence-based practice