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Trevor Sheldon

Publications and source records attributed to Trevor Sheldon.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Nurse practitioner and practice nurses' use of research information in clinical decision making: findings from an exploratory study.

BACKGROUND: There is a lack of evidence regarding the kinds of decisions made by primary care nurses and the information sources they use in clinical decision making. OBJECTIVE: To describe the decisions made by nurses working in general practice and the sources of information they use to underpin those decisions. METHODS: Qualitative methods (interviews, observation, documentary analysis) were used to collect data on the clinical decision making and information seeking behaviour of a purposive sample of 29 practice nurses and four nurse practitioners from general practices in the North of England. Data were collected November 2001-September 2002. RESULTS: A seven-fold typology captured the types of decisions the nurses made on a daily basis concerning assessment, diagnosis, intervention, referral, communication, service delivery and organization (SDO) and information seeking. Faced with clinical uncertainty, the majority of the nurses in the study relied on personal experience, or obtained advice and information from GP or other colleagues. These 'human sources' of information were overwhelmingly preferred to text or on-line resources. Despite encounters with evidence-based resources through continuing professional development, the nurses rarely used them to seek answers to routine clinical questions. CONCLUSION: The decisions of the nurses in the study were mainly concerned with undifferentiated diagnosis and treatment, in the context of acute conditions and chronic disease management. 'Human sources' of information were preferred to any other; however, we do not know whether information obtained from colleagues is based on research.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Barriers to evidence-based practice in primary care nursing--why viewing decision-making as context is helpful.

AIM: This paper reports a study examining the barriers associated with research knowledge transfer amongst primary care nurses in the context of clinical decision-making. BACKGROUND: The research literature on barriers to nurses' use of research knowledge is characterized by studies that rely primarily on self-report data, making them prone to reporting biases. Studies of the barriers to evidence-based practice often fail to examine information use and behaviour in the context of clinical decision-making. METHODS: A multi-site, mixed method, case study was carried out in 2001. Data were collected in three primary care organizations by means of interviews with 82 primary care nurses, 270 hours of non-participant observation and 122 Q-sorts. Nurses were selected using a published theoretical sampling frame. Between-methods triangulation was employed and data analysed according to the principles of constant comparison. Multiple linear regression was used to explore relationships between a number of independent demographic variables (such as length of clinical experience) and the dependent variable of nurses' perspectives on the barriers to their use of research knowledge. RESULTS: Three perspectives on barriers to research information use emerged: the need to bridge the skills and knowledge gap for successful knowledge transfer; information formats need to maximize limited opportunities for consumption; and limited access in the context of limited time for decision-making and information consumption. Demographic variables largely failed to predict allegiance to any of the perspectives identified. CONCLUSIONS: Researchers should consider using decision-making as a contextual backdrop for exploring information use and behaviour, avoid relying solely on self-reported behaviour as data, and use a variety of research methods to provide a richer picture of information-related behaviour. Practice developers need to recognize that understanding the decisions to which research knowledge is to be applied should be a characteristic of any strategy to increase research uptake by nurses.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Factors influencing the publication of health research.

OBJECTIVES: Assess the degree to which research project findings were published and explore factors that influenced publication. METHODS: Questionnaire to project leaders. Classification of publications and findings. Chi-squared; univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses. RESULTS: Forty percent of projects published in peer-reviewed journal; highly statistically significant relationships between publication in peer-reviewed journals and (1) projects in Responsive/Fellowships streams (p = .045); and (2) projects awarded > pounds sterling 22,713 (p = .02); influence of study findings not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Funders should consider the significant number of studies that did not result in publication and the higher rate of publication in peer-reviewed journals from some programs.

Peer Review, Research↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The value of research in clinical decision-making.

This article examines the application of research-based information in clinical decision-making. In doing so it draws on the findings (and work in progress) of two research projects that seek to contribute to establishing the potential for evidence-based approaches in nursing. The authors conclude that understanding the types of decisions nurses make, their clinical uncertainties and unanswered questions is of value to both researchers, policy makers and practitioners.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗