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But getting the research into the hands of practicing
nurses is not the end of the story either, Chulay said.
Although she has worked in more than a dozen hospitals
as a director of nursing research and practice, Chulay
has spent the last two years as a consultant in critical
care nursing and nursing research from her base in Chapel
Hill, N.C.
She sometimes runs into difficulties persuading nurses
to change their practices, even when presented with
evidence-based research.
"The hardest things to change are some of the
rituals we have in nursing that we've done probably
since Florence Nightingale," she said. "Just
having knowledge doesn't mean we change behavior."
Much of her work is spent helping nursing staff understand
the basis for their practice.
Chulay does not blame nursing schools for perpetuating
out-of-date practices.
"When you come out of nursing school, you're such
a neophyte you get taught how to do your job, and that's
how the problem starts," she said.
Often, Chulay helps hospitals set up nursing research
programs that involve staff nurses. "I believe
it's a powerful way to open their eyes to basing their
practice on research," she said.
Experience is no measure of resistance to change. Nurses
who are naturally inquisitive-regardless of whether
they have spent their careers following one routine-will
be open to new ideas, Chulay said.
Nursing leadership sets the tone for each hospital,
she said, and she sees more and more nurse leaders with
either the intuition or education to go beyond ritual-based
practice.
"We absolutely have stronger leadership in hospitals
than 30 years ago," she said of nursing. "We
have a lot more doctorally prepared nurses who have
gone in-depth into research and continue to stay employed
full-time in the service setting."
Contact Heather World at H_world@yahoo.com
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