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Background: Graduating nursing students are expected to have acquired the necessary skills to provide research-based care to patients. However, recent studies have shown that new graduate nurses report their extent of research use as relatively low. Because behavior intention is a well-known predictor of subsequent behavior, this gives reasons to further investigate graduating nursing students' intentions to use research in clinical practice after undergraduate study., Objectives: To investigate graduating nursing students' intentions to use research in clinical practice and, furthermore, to investigate whether intention in itself and as a mediating variable can predict subsequent research use behavior in clinical practice one year post graduation., Design: A follow-up study was performed of graduating nursing students in their final semester of undergraduate study (2006) and at one year post graduation (2008). Data were collected within the larger national survey LANE (Longitudinal Analysis of Nursing Education)., Participants: A sample of 1319 respondents was prospectively followed., Methods: Graduating nursing students' intentions to use research instrumentally were studied as a predictor of their subsequent instrumental research use one year post graduation. A statistical full mediation model was tested to evaluate the effects of intention and factors from undergraduate study on subsequent research use in daily care., Results: Thirty-four percent of the nursing students intended to use research on more than half or almost every working shift in their future clinical practice. Intention showed a direct effect on research use behavior. In addition, significant indirect effects on research use were shown for capability beliefs (regarding practicing the principles of evidence-based practice) and perceived support for research use (from campus and clinical education), where intention acted as a mediating factor for those effects., Conclusions: Students rated a modest level of intention to use research evidence. Intentions close to graduation acted as an essential predictor of subsequent research use behavior, both through a direct effect and as a mediating variable. These findings give support for designing future interventions aiming at influencing students' intention to use research to improve subsequent behavior. Focusing on strengthening students' capability beliefs and providing support for research use appear as promising target activities., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Nurses' research utilization (RU) as part of evidence-based practice is strongly emphasized in today's nursing education and clinical practice. The primary aim of RU is to provide high-quality nursing care to patients. Data on newly graduated nurses' RU are scarce, but a predominance of low use has been reported in recent studies. Factors associated with nurses' RU have previously been identified among individual and organizational/contextual factors, but there is a lack of knowledge about how these factors, including educational ones, interact with each other and with RU, particularly in nurses during the first years after graduation. The purpose of this study was therefore to identify factors that predict the probability for low RU among registered nurses two years after graduation., Methods: Data were collected as part of the LANE study (Longitudinal Analysis of Nursing Education), a Swedish national survey of nursing students and registered nurses. Data on nurses' instrumental, conceptual, and persuasive RU were collected two years after graduation (2007, n = 845), together with data on work contextual factors. Data on individual and educational factors were collected in the first year (2002) and last term of education (2004). Guided by an analytic schedule, bivariate analyses, followed by logistic regression modeling, were applied., Results: Of the variables associated with RU in the bivariate analyses, six were found to be significantly related to low RU in the final logistic regression model: work in the psychiatric setting, role ambiguity, sufficient staffing, low work challenge, being male, and low student activity., Conclusions: A number of factors associated with nurses' low extent of RU two years postgraduation were found, most of them potentially modifiable. These findings illustrate the multitude of factors related to low RU extent and take their interrelationships into account. This knowledge might serve as useful input in planning future studies aiming to improve nurses', specifically newly graduated nurses', RU.

Aim: This paper reports on a study of research use among nurses two years after graduation, as well as changes over time in research use in relation to changes in working conditions., Background: The demand for evidence-based practice is widely expressed, and newly graduated nurses should possess the skills to provide high-quality care based on the best knowledge available. The way in which nurses use research during the first few years after graduating is, however, largely unknown., Method: As part of a national longitudinal survey, nurses reported their extent of instrumental, conceptual and persuasive research use in 2006 (n = 1365) and 2007 (n = 1256). Data were analysed cross-sectionally and prospectively, using variable- and pattern-oriented methods., Results: Instrumental research was reported most frequently, on about half of the working shifts. Seven profiles of research use were found, showing structural stability over time when compared with results from year 1. Most typically, nurses maintained the same profile over time; moreover, low users tended to become even lower users. Two years after graduation, 54.9% reported overall low use. Changes in working conditions did not explain the decrease in research use., Conclusion: The results support previous claims of a gap between research and clinical practice. The predominance of overall low users is alarming and requires further research, including investigation of individual and organizational factors, to study their impact on nurses' research use.

Aim: This paper is a report of a study of nurses' research use in clinical practice one and three years postgraduation in Sweden., Background: Internationally, learning to critically appraise and use research is an educational objective within nursing training, with the aim of promoting research use in nursing practice. The extent to which these skills is acquired and used among relatively newly graduated nurses is largely unexplored, however., Method: . A descriptive study was conducted in 2006 using a national longitudinal survey of two nursing cohorts one (n = 1,365) and three (n = 933) years postgraduation. The self-reported extent of instrumental, conceptual and persuasive research use was measured. Data were analysed using both variable- and pattern-oriented approaches based on cluster analysis., Results: Research use was reported to occur in about half or fewer of the working shifts. In both samples, seven clusters of nurses with different research use profiles were identified. Clusters representing overall low and very low users in all three types of research use were predominant both at one (45.6%) and three (51.6%) years postgraduation, whereas clusters of nurses reporting overall high research use were uncommon. The proportion of very low users was larger 3 years after graduation than 1 year after graduation., Conclusions: The low extent of reported research use, raises the question of whether scientific perspectives included in nursing education are translated into clinical application. The pattern-oriented approach illustrates the complexity of research use and identification of typical research use profiles in specific contexts may have potential to guide interventions aimed at supporting evidence-based practice.

Aim: To describe and study the association between registered nurses' self‐rated research utilization and their perception of their work climate. Background: Research utilization is an important part of evidence‐based nursing, and registered nurses value a work climate that supports the possibility to work evidence‐based. Method: This cross‐sectional study was conducted using the Creative Climate Questionnaire together with three questions measuring instrumental, conceptual and persuasive research utilization. The analysis was done using variable‐ and pattern‐oriented approaches. Results: An association was found between research utilization and experience of dynamism/liveliness. Women reported higher use of conceptual research utilization. Regarding work climate, younger registered nurses and registered nurses with less work experience gave higher scores for playfulness/humour and conflicts. The results showed an association between having a Bachelor's or Master's degree and higher instrumental research utilization. Discussion Research utilization was higher in registered nurses with higher academic education. Low users of research tended to experience a lack of dynamism and liveliness, which indicates the importance of improving the work climate by creating a climate that allows opinions and initiate discussions. Conclusion: The findings support the importance of creating a work climate that encourages reflection and discussion among registered nurses, and to promote academic education for nurses plus an optimal work‐place staffing‐mix. Summary Statement: What is already known about this topic? Research utilization is an important part of evidence‐based nursing.Registered nurses value a work climate that supports the possibility to work evidence‐based.Little is known about the association between how nurses use research in clinical work and how they perceive their work climate. What this paper adds? Low research users tended to experience low dynamism and liveliness in their work climate, showing the importance of improving the work climate in health care organizations to support clinical nurses' ability to express opinions and initiate discussions.The association between work climate and the use of research among nurses needs further investigation.Our findings support previous research showing that a higher academic level is associated with increased research among registered nurses working clinically, and therefore benefits patient outcomes. The implications of this paper: The association between low research utilization and experience of low dynamism and liveliness indicates the importance of improving the work climate by creating an atmosphere where nurses can express their opinions and initiate discussions.There is a need to support clinical registered nurses to maintain their research utilization throughout their working career.The health care sector and the individual workplace should support registered nurses in furthering their academic level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To investigate what registered nurses (RNs) with a PhD working in clinical practice experience in terms of their role, function and work context. Background: Previous studies have shown that RNs with a graduate degree contribute to better and safer care for patients. However, little is known about what further academic schooling of RNs, at PhD level, means for clinical practice. Method: Qualitative design, with semi‐structured interviews and inductive content analysis. Results: The main areas of responsibilities for RNs with a PhD working in clinical practice were related to practice development and implementation of research results. In their work, they experienced barriers to the full use of their competence; the expectations and prerequisites of the organisation were not clearly defined, and they often lacked a mandate to create conditions for quality improvement of nursing care. Conclusions: RNs with a PhD can contribute to evidence‐based practice (EBP), clinical training, as well as the development of clinical research. Their roles and responsibilities need to be clarified, and for this, they need support from managers. Implications for Nursing Management: Nurse managers have the opportunity to partner with RNs with a PhD to support the EBP process and help structure nursing practice in more efficient ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]