Table 1 Registered nurses reported barriers to research utilization (percentage of registered nurses' scoring 3 or 4 on the BARRIERS scale).
Subscale/item | Rank order | Total (n = 140) |
|---|---|---|
Nurse (mean and SD) |  | 2.19 ± 0.56 |
The nurse is isolated from knowledgeable colleagues with whom to discuss the research (n = 123) | 1 | 89% |
There is not a documented need to change practice (n = 96) | 17 | 41% |
The nurse does not feel capable of evaluating the research (n = 114) | 19 | 39% |
The nurse sees little benefit for self(n = 120) | 21 | 33% |
The nurse does not see the value of research for practice (n = 119) | 22 | 30% |
The nurse feels the benefits of changing practice will be minimal (n = 91) | 24 | 28% |
The nurse is unaware of the research (n = 132) | 25 | 25% |
The nurse is unwilling to change/try new ideas (n = 135) | 28 | 19% |
Setting (mean and SD) |  | 2.71 ± 0.52 |
The facilities are inadequate for implementation (n = 124) | 2 | 88% |
The nurse does not have time to read research (n = 131) | 5 | 79% |
There is insufficient time on the job to implement new ideas (n = 127) | 6 | 70% |
Other staff are not supportive of implementation (n = 81) | 9 | 63% |
The nurse does not feel she/he has enough authority to change patient care procedures (n = 124) | 13 | 50% |
Physicians will not cooperate with implementation (n = 61) | 14 | 46% |
The nurse feels results are not generalizable to own setting (n = 113) | 16 | 41% |
Administration will not allow implementation (n = 70) | 27 | 23% |
Research (mean and SD) |  | 2.17 ± 0.66 |
The research has not been replicated (n = 56) | 10 | 57% |
Research reports/articles are not published fast enough (n = 50) | 12 | 52% |
The literature reports conflicting results (n = 59) | 20 | 37% |
The nurse is uncertain whether to believe the results of the research (n = 108) | 23 | 30% |
The research has methodological inadequacies (n = 56) | 26 | 23% |
The conclusions drawn from the research are not justified (n = 81) | 30 | 13% |
Presentation (mean and SD) |  | 2.62 ± 0.58 |
The relevant literature is not compiled in one place (n = 112) | 3 | 81% |
Research reports/articles are not readily available (n = 133) | 4 | 80% |
Implications for practice are not made clear (n = 121) | 7 | 67% |
The statistical analyses are not understandable (n = 125) | 11 | 55% |
The research is not reported clearly and readably (n = 90) | 15 | 43% |
The research is not relevant to the nurse's practice (n = 131) | 29 | 17% |
No subscale/extra items | Â | Â |
Research reports/articles are written in English (n = 130) | 8 | 64% |
The amount of research information is overwhelming (n = 93) | 18 | 40% |