Recent trends in undergraduate nurse research at a district general hospital in the UK: Threats and mitigation

Abstract

The amount and type of research carried out by undergraduate nurses at an acute secondary care NHS Trust (district general hospital) in England before and after the Department of Health introduced the Research Governance Framework (RGF) was assessed. A total of 22 studies were identified. These were mainly questionnaires directed to staff and contributed little to areas of National Priority (other than ‘building research capacity’). Thirteen nurses were identified who were still at the Trust and for whom there was a current contact postal or email address. These nurses were sent a questionnaire to describe their experiences and perceived benefits of completing a research project. There were five respondents who all indicated that the projects were based on a reflection of local practice and that the completion of a research project increased their confidence to complete a further research project. However, only one person had actually completed a project after graduation. Since the RGF was introduced in 2001 there were no projects registered by undergraduate nurses. This paper discusses these findings and assesses ways to promote nursing research. The main conclusion is that nurses should conduct a research project as part of undergraduate training.