Research activities and perceptions of barriers to research utilization among critical care nurses in Korea

Background: Research utilization is vital to promote evidence-based practice in the critical care area, where nursing practice continues to grow in complexity and nurses have greater responsibility and accountability for patient care. However, information about research activities and barriers to research utilization of critical care nurses is limited. Aims: This study aimed to describe research activities, to identify barriers to research utilization for practice and to examine factors related to research barriers among critical care nurses. Methods: Data from 63 critical care nurses were analyzed from a national study examining research utilization of clinical nurses working in university affiliated and educational hospitals in Korea. Findings: Research activities were relatively low. A lack of guidance for clinical implication and insufficient time to implement new ideas in the clinical area were identified as the highest-ranking barriers to use of research in this group. Perceptions of barriers to research utilization were significantly higher in those staff nurses with lesser clinical experience. The critical care nurses in this study shared a strong sense of valuing the contribution of research, but also shared perceptions on barriers for administrative aspects. Organizational support is crucial for critical care nurses to achieve evidence-based practice.