A survey of critical care nurse's perceptions of barriers to research utilization, and its relation to some demographic variables

To bridge the gap between scientific evidence and patient care, an in-depth understanding of the barriers is needed. The purpose of this study was to identify barriers of research utilization from the point of view of Zanjan registered and critical care unit’s nurses. Data were collected using the Funk s Evidence Based Practice Barriers Scale. Based on statistics formula sample of study was 64 graduate nurses employed in critical care units of Zanjan Educational Hospitals. Descriptive and inferential statistics (Friedman, Kruskal-wallis, Mann-Whitney U-test) were employed to analyze the data. According to the research results, the first three main barriers to research utilization identified by the respondents were: “Insufficient facilities”, “Lack of time to read research”, and “Insufficient time on the job to implement new ideas”. Nevertheless, no statistically significant difference was found between the demographic variables such as sex, work years, level of education, and position, based on the general scale means. It is highly recommended that the educational hospitals systems need to change for preparation nurses with sufficient facilities and time to read and implement new finding.