Reuben B Bowie, RN

The nurse researcher's roles and responsibilities

Any nurse having preparation and op- portunity to conduct research for or about nursing may be considered a nurse researcher. Preparation includes development of research skills through graduate education, special research courses, workshops, and practical re- search experience. The opportunity exists in any practice environment that allows 25% or more of the nurse's time for research. Since the number of nurses who may be identified as nurse re- searchers is limited, consideration should be given to the roles they as- sume. Although nurse researchers can and do assume the consumer, participa- tive, supportive, technical, and consul- tative roles in research, they generally place greater emphasis on the col- laborative, interpretive, and investiga- tive roles.

The collaborative role is important because it allows nurse researchers to share their expertise with others- developing the skills of new nurse in- vestigators and increasing the quantity of nursing research. The interpretive role provides for the effective use of re- search findings. But the investigative role is the most important, for through this role researchers expand the body of nursing knowledge. Understanding the responsibilities within the investiga- tive role will help clinical nurses to use the services of nurse researchers to their best advantage and will also help them to assume the investigative role.

Nursing research should have as its goal the improvement of nursing prac- tice. This is accomplished by providing a scientific basis for practice. So that re- search will be relevant to practice needs, the nurse researcher has a re- sponsibility to be aware of gaps in scien- tific knowledge. Extensive review of nursing and related literature is one obvious way to meet that responsibility, but continuing interaction with re- search consumers is equally important. How do nurse educators, administra- tors, and practitioners use research? What do they perceive as their research needs? By answering such questions, nurse researchers can identify many problems for study.

Since not every problem can be studied simultaneously, the second re- sponsibility of the nurse researcher is to establish priorities for research in accord with nursing needs. Involvement with research consumers is critical to this process since they are the nurses who will put the research findings into practice. The consumers' evaluation of the findings' relevance to nursing needs will determine the extent that the re- search will affect nursing practice.

Another responsibility inherent to the investigative role is to assure integ-

Editor's note. This is the fourth article in a Journal series examining the roles of the nurse researcher and the steps in the research pro- cess.

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rity of the study design. Three areas related to design integrity are: (1) the ability to meet the study objective, (2) the timeliness of results, and (3) risk to study subjects.

It is of little value to identify a nurs- ing question if the study design does not allow for a conclusive answer. The con- clusion need not be one anticipated or desired by the investigator or consumer, but it should be an answer that contrib- utes to nursing knowledge. Design flaws that can defeat a study’s objec- tives include lack of control of variables or failure to consider the influence of various factors on the results. While complete foresight and control of vari- ables are not always possible, every ef- fort should be made to make the design tight. In doing so, the nurse researcher increases the ability of the study to meet its research objective and enhances its scientific merit.

Timeliness is also an important con- sideration for design integrity. If study

Reuben B Bowie, R N , MS, is a major in the Army Nurse Corps. She is a nurse researcher at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC. Bowie received a BSN from the Tuskegee Institute, Ala, and a Master of Science in medical-surgical nursing from the University of Maryland, Baltimore.

The opinions and assertions contained herein are the private views of the author and are not to be construed as official or as reflect- ing the views of the Department of the Army or the Department of Defense.

results are to be meaningful to the con- sumer, then the study design should allow completion within a reasonable time. Otherwise, results could be un- dermined by rapidly advancing tech- nology or by less sophisticated and more costly solutions gained through trial and error.

The study design should protect the rights of human subjects. The study should be designed so that subjects en- counter the lowest possible risk. When this is not possible, a value determina- tion is necessary. This does not mean that one concern should be subordi- nated to another. Rather, all concerns should be evaluated critically and ap- propriate compromises made.

The nurse researcher also has a re- sponsibility to identify areas requiring further study. Clearly, no one study can answer every aspect of a research problem. More often than not, a study will raise more questions than it an- swers. Responsible investigators will delineate researchable problems that arise from their study and communicate these in their reports.

Every nurse researcher must assume responsibility for publishing research findings. If research is to have an im- pact on practice, findings should be available to the widest possible range of potential research consumers. Publica- tion is apparently the best means of accomplishing this.

Further, some see this demonstration of research productivity as a require- ment for gaining the approval and f i - nancial support to continue research ef- forts. There are also those who view a count of published reports (with or without weighting by journal quality) as an adequate means of measuring re- search productivity and effectiveness. Nurse researchers must publish for the survival and growth of their profession.

The final responsibility points to the cyclical nature of research. The nurse

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researcher h a s a respons ib i l i t y t o fo l l ow up with f u r t h e r studies. I t i s n o t enough j u s t t o i d e n t i f y areas r e q u i r i n g f u r t h e r study; t h e i r p r i o r i t i es fo r i n v e s t i g a t i n g these gaps in n u r s i n g know ledge m u s t b e es tab l i shed a c c o r d i n g t o n u r s i n g needs. T h e respons ib i l i t i es o f t h e nu rse researcher con t inue wi th t h e cycle o f fo l low-up studies. D e s i g n i n t e g r i t y is equa l l y impor tan t , as i s t h e need t o pub- l i s h f i n d i n g s and i d e n t i f y a reas f o r f u r t h e r study.

Fo l l ow-up studies increase t h e d e p t h o f n u r s i n g knowledge, as w e l l as en- hance t h e g r o w t h o f nu rs ing . Research

i s an ever quest ioning, cyc l i ca l process, a whee l that moves t h e profession o f n u r s i n g along. 0 Suggested reading Lee, J M. "Why aren't you doing research?"

Physiotherapy 64 (Dec 25, 1976) 149-1 50. McBride, Mary Angela; Diers, Donna; Schmidt, Ruth

L. "Nurse-researcher: The crucial hyphen." American Journal of Nursing 70 (June 1970)

O'Connell, K A; Duffey, M. "Research in nursing practice: Its nature and direction." lmage 8 (Feb- ruary 1976) 6-12.

Werley, Harriet H. "Nursing research in perspec- tive." international Nursing Review 24 (May-June

1256-1 260.

1977) 75-83.

Volunteers requested for study of OR stress Nurse researchers at Park Plaza Hospital, Houston, are planning a national two-year study of the effects of stress on operating room nurses. According to C A Preston, director of operating rooms, the study will examine "the relationship between stress and health and job performance."

interaction of physiological, psychological, and environmental factors is being recognized as important in preventing illness. Researchers at the hospital believe that "stress may be one of the major contributors to many diseases" and cited estimates that up to 80% of physical problems may originate with stress. A Tennessee study has ranked nursing occupations among the 30 jobs that place the most stress on employees.

will look at the nature and extent of stress experienced by operating room nurses. They hope to answer such questions about stress as "How much is related to the job? What causes it? and How are health and performance influenced by stress?

The researchers are looking for several hundred operating room nurses to supply information. Those participating will be asked to complete an initial set of questionnaires. Questions will measure job factors, job and career satisfaction, levels

In announcing the study, Preston said the

In the two-year investigation, researchers

of job-related stress, levels of stress unrelated to employment, personality characteristics, and health status. Some participants will also be asked to supply information on blood pressure and cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Follow-up questionnaires will be sent at three- to six-month intervals.

The study is being conducted in cooperation with the Center for Health Management of the University of Houston.

According to Preston, there are two major benefits from participating in the study. First is the opportunity to take part in a study that can potentially benefit the profession. He said the study may provide information about the relationship between stress and health and contribute to OR nursing by better defining the stressful nature of the OR nurse's job. Second, filling out the questionnaires will provide individuals with information about themselves. After the project is completed, all participants will receive a report of their own attitudes, personality, and stress profiles with interpretive data, Preston said.

OR nurses interested in participating in the study may request information from Michael T Metteson, Center for Health Management, College of Business Administration, Room 229, McElhinney Hall, University of Houston, Houston, Tex 77004

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