When you think of nursing, the term “research” may not come to mind.
But the executive director of the North Dakota Center for Nursing says nurses are involved in a lot of different research.
"One is quality improvement -- looking at the processes within the health care facility to make sure thye;re working well," said Patricia Moulton. "Also, evidence-based practice -- looking at new ways to do practice. And your basic nursing research as well."
Moulton says her group is working on developing a statewide nursing research network – allowing nurses to share their findings.
"Hopefully, in the long term, they'll see newer, more innovative practices, and faster," said Moulton. "That's so when a new finding comes out, and you should do something in a different way, hopefully they will see that."
And Moulton says it will allow the research to be shared with the rest of the world.
A professor at the University of Alabama’s School of Nursing spoke to the Nurses Association about the importance of research – and sharing findings. Dr. Maria Shirey says nurse practice should be based on evidence – and that’s generated through research.
"If we want to achieve desirable outcomes for our patients, promote quality and safety, we need to know what is the best evidence out there that can help us, and guide our practice," said Shirey.
The Nurses Association held a conference in Bismarck.
