Building and Sustaining a Hospital-Based Nursing Research Program

Building and Sustaining a Hospital-Based Nursing Research Program is designed to serve as a handbook for nurses, in hospitals of all sizes, to help them build and sustain a program of nursing research, which is a fundamental requirement in obtaining Magnet status and improving patient care.

The book has three main areas of emphasis:

1. A framework / foundation for developing a nursing research program that creates new knowledge and enhances the scientific foundation of nursing evidence.
2. The structures, systems, and processes for building and maintaining and growing a nursing research program, including resources needed.
3. Evaluation processes for nursing research programs and experiential stories from clinical nurses.


An underlying premise of this book is that nursing research is increasingly promoted by hospital nursing leaders, but nurses need more support and guidance to develop the program. Nursing research leadership can be fostered. Visual leadership prompts staff nurse interest in research that, when done well, provides new knowledge in patient, nurse and administrative outcomes. The Nursing Research Program at the Cleveland Clinic Health System is described as an example. These foundational steps were developed in 2004 and adapted over time as expectations became system wide, to include small and midsize community hospitals without extensive resources, and multiple ambulatory care and regional medical practices, in addition to the quaternary care medical center with 1300 beds. As a result, the content will include how to adapt structures and processes to fit the needs of various hospital / nursing staff size and based on program goals.