Newell Robert Burnard Philip - Research for Evidence-Based Practice for Nurses and Health Professionals

To Phils wife and children, Sally, Aaron and Becky; and to Robs wife, Caroline and late mother, Olive. Also to Robs late Latin teacher, Agnes.

This edition first published 2011

2011 and 2006 by Robert Newell and Philip Burnard

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Newell, Robert, 1954

Research for evidence-based practice in healthcare/Robert Newell, Philip Burnard. 2nd ed.
p.; cm. (Vital notes)
Rev. ed. of: Vital notes for nurses : research for evidence-based practice/Robert Newell, Philip Burnard. 2006. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-4443-3112-7 (pbk. : alk. paper)

1. Nursing-Research-Methodology. 2. Evidence-based nursing. I. Burnard, Philip. II. Newell, Robert, 1954- Vital notes for nurses. III. Title. IV. Series: Vital notes.

[DNLM: 1. Nursing Research-methods.
2. Evidence-Based Nursing- methods. WY 20.5 N546r 2011]
RT81.5.N46 2011
610.73072-dc22

2010011213

List of Common Research Terms

SECTION 1
Contextual Materials

Introduction to Healthcare Research for Evidence-Based Practice

Introduction

This book is about research in healthcare, seen principally from the viewpoint of students undertaking pre-registration and postregistration educational programmes. We are both active healthcare researchers and are passionate believers in research by healthcare professionals (HCPs) for the benefit of the patients and clients we serve. Our own background is principally in mental health nursing, although, as teachers and researchers, we have widened the scope of our work beyond a purely mental health focus. Likewise, as researchers we have typically worked in multidisciplinary research, with the broad range of other HCPs, with medical practitioner researchers and with researchers from a range of non-clinical disciplines. In preparing this book, we have sought to make it relevant to colleagues from across the disciplines, and we hope this comes over in the material that follows. We both started to get interested in research from early on in our clinical careers, and did a good deal of research while still mainly working as clinicians. The real reason we started in research was because we were interested in whether the things we did with patients and clients made a difference to their experiences of illness, recovery and health. If you have picked up this book, we guess you have a similar interest, and we hope we can work with you in developing that interest and finding ways you can translate your ideas into practical projects, whether these be through your own research or your examination of the research literature to inform your practice.

In the following pages, we will try and take you through the various elements of undertaking a piece of research. Even if you do not have to do research yourself as part of your educational course, this book is still for you for three reasons. First, much of the material we present is