The variety of knowledge on nursing practice constitutes the wide-ranging field of this scholarship. While some scholars try to formulate scientific knowledge through laboratory work, their colleagues in hospitals and other medical facilities apply the best available practices. This paper will outline the clear line between nursing research and evidence-based practice in nursing. Although the central difference lies in the differences in aims, nursing research and evidence-based practice are interchangeably linked.
To better understand the link between these two branches, it is crucial to understand the path that knowledge undergoes to become effective evidence for practice. Firstly, academic researchers using qualitative and quantitative methods in research centers and universities formulate theory-based practices (Sharma, 2018). In this academic environment, the main intention is to test and verify different nursing approaches. Secondly, after this knowledge is acquired and verified, it transfers to the medical facilities through the proper training and education of staff (Unal & Teskereci, 2021). As Chain (2019) indicates, “evidence from research (effective innovation) must be accompanied by effective implementation” (p. 1). Thus, the difference is constituted in the fact that nursing research and evidence-based practice in nursing is the different parts of the knowledge transfer cycle. In addition, it is not a prerequisite of nursing research that it should definitely be based on evidence. For example, scholars may construct theories about the nursing practice by using their judgment and expertise.
To sum up, this brief essay discussed the differences between nursing research and evidence-based nursing practice. In fact, researchers in nursing may not be intelligible in implementing the acquired knowledge in practice. At the same time, it may work in a different direction: professional nurses do not have to be academic scholars. The reason is that research aims to derive the best evidence for implementing it in practice, so these roles should be distinguished.
References
Chien, L. Y. (2019). Evidence-based practice and nursing research. The Journal of Nursing Research, 27(4), 1.
Sharma, S. (2018). Nursing research and statistics. Elsevier Health Sciences.
Unal, A., & Teskereci, G. (2021). Mapping the evidence-based practice research field in nursing from 1995 to 2021: A bibliometric analysis. International Journal of Nursing Knowledge, 1-11.