Research evaluation and utilisation: the role of epidemiology

Abstract

The critical assessment of research reports is integral to modern nursing. Not only must practitioners be proficient appraisers of such material, but managers and purchasers (or commissioners) of health services must also be able to recognise significant research findings. Epidemiology offers a set of strategies for reading and organising the literature, particularly quantitative studies, in a systematic way. This chapter will explore how the evaluation of the research literature by nurses might be enhanced, using some of the methods first developed within epidemiology. The first section will reiterate the background to the increasing profile that research is attaining within nursing and outline the major problems that the profession faces in its attempts to use research. Some of the strategies developed within epidemiology for both evaluating and reviewing the literature will then be discussed. The third section will examine the opportunities and constraints afforded to nursing through the adoption of one particular strategy — synthetic research. The chapter will conclude with the enigma of implementation, which will be addressed by exploring some of the issues surrounding research, knowledge and practice