Nursing research: Why do nurses need it?

Georgia Nursing, Feb-Apr 2003 by Denton, Diane L

Are you a nurse or nursing student who values research? Do you understand why we as nurses need to conduct research? At one time, I probably could not have explained the value of nursing research, but then my clinical nursing position became entwined with research in a way that I did not foresee. Nursing research not only can add to our knowledge base but can make changes for our patients, their futures, and their environments. It also impacts health care costs.

Having worked in many areas of nursing during my career, the one area where I truly grew and met many challenges was in pediatric burn nursing. I worked on a pediatric burn unit in Louisville, Kentucky. Kosair Children's Hospital served most of the state of Kentucky, as well as some of the surrounding states, for pediatric burn injuries. We had an acute unit as well as a step down unit and during the 70's and 80's we were very busy. During my time there, I became interested in prevention of burn injuries and started an educational program at the hospital. With the educational burn prevention program, I became aware that changes could be made through education, engineering and legislation that would benefit the patient.

At that time one of the most common injuries was suffered by small children when their clothing caught fire. Many of these children were between the ages of two to five years, and female as well as male. The literature at that time indicated male children, between the ages of five to seven years who were emotionally troubled. In interviewing the children and parents, one item continued to surface as a problem, the disposable cigarette lighter. Thus began for me a long journey to change a product to prevent horrible injury and death to an unprotected, voiceless section of our society, small children.

I began collecting data at our institution as well as with local and state fire departments. My data, which included numbers of children killed and injured, letters from parents regarding the ease with which the child could use the lighter and the medical costs related to injury, were sent to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in Washington with a petition requesting lighters become child resistant, similar to the medication caps previously required by the Poison Packaging Act. The petition was sent in 1985. The petition resulted in an investigation by the Commission and after many studies, statistics, and meetings over a eight year period, a national safety standard for disposable cigarette lighters was established in 1994. The change in the lighter only means that it will be more difficult for some young children to light, but not impossible for them to light.

CPSC, at that time estimated benefits of annual savings of 115 to 195 million dollars. These savings would be accomplished through 5,600 fewer house fires, 11,000 fewer injuries, and an estimated 120 fewer deaths each year. By identifying a nursing problem, looking for an intervention and a form of implementation one nurse made a difference. How many opportunities are out there today just waiting for another nurse to identify the problem, the interventions and begin implementation?

I have always believed that nurses hold more power than we receive credit for or use to the good of others. Maybe we should look at our research class differently if we are students. If you the RN are in a clinical setting and frustrated by a problem, you should look for a solution. Nursing is changing, so let us be the change agents for our profession, not outsiders. Nurses can make a difference. You can make a difference.

Diane L. Denton, RN, MSN, FNP

Assistant Professor of Nursing Coastal Georgia Community College Member, Commission on Nursing Practice