Consequences of the hospital nursing research culture: Perspective of staff nurses

Abstract

Research plays a critical role in molding nursing as a profession. Healthcare organizations are challenged to build an organizational culture that cultivates the development of nursing research. Creating a culture of nursing research is constantly branded a vital component in advancing nursing science. Therefore, this study described nurses' perceptions about their hospital's nursing research culture. A descriptive phenomenological design was conducted among a purposive sample of 17 staff nurses from December 2022 to April 2023 in the eastern Philippines. Semi-structured online interviews were conducted with the initial question, "How do you describe the culture of nursing research in the hospital where you currently work?" The researchers used Braun and Clarke's thematic approach to analyze the qualitative data. Finally, we reach three central themes and seven themes: Influencing behavior and performance of the employee (help in research information and learning, flexibility, and adaptability, and collaboration and communication among employees), influencing staff nurses' research participation (leadership strategies and training and professional development), and affecting hospitals to adapt to change (organizational performance and success and employee engagement and job satisfaction). This research study has revealed three central themes that provide valuable information for nurses on the nursing research culture within healthcare institutions. The findings support the benefits of a positive nursing research culture in hospitals due to its critical role in shaping nurses' behavior and performance, participation in nursing research, and hospital adaptation to changes. Collectively, these themes contribute to a deeper understanding of the multifaceted impact that a culture of nursing research can have on various levels of the healthcare system.