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. 2022 Jun 28;61(3):181-190.
doi: 10.2478/sjph-2022-0024. eCollection 2022 Sep.

Perceived Barriers and Enablers of Nursing Research in the Italian Context: Findings from a Systematic Review

Sara Scarsini  1 , Barbara Narduzzi  1 , Lucia Cadorin  2 , Alvisa Palese  2
Affiliations

Perceived Barriers and Enablers of Nursing Research in the Italian Context: Findings from a Systematic Review

Sara Scarsini et al. Zdr Varst. .

Abstract
in English, Slovenian

Introduction: The research capacity of nurses has been reported to be still constrained in several countries, and not fully implemented in its potentiality due to a large number of factors. Despite its relevance both for clinical and public health purposes, no summary has been compiled to date regarding factors influencing the research capacity in the Italian context. Therefore, the primary aim of this review was to identify the barriers and enablers of conducting research as perceived by Italian nurses.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review. The following databases have been searched: ILISI ® (Indice della Letteratura Italiana di Scienze Infermieristiche) MEDLINE-via PubMed, CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), Ovid, Open Grey, Google Scopus, and Web of Science. Eight studies met the inclusion criteria.

Results: The studies were mainly descriptive, with two quasi-experimental. A total of seven barriers and four facilitators of conducting research among Italian nurses were identified. The constraints were poor English knowledge, technology and library availability and accessibility, understaffing and lack of time, nursing culture characteristics, lack of nursing leadership support, scarce funding availability, and the bureaucratic ethical committee process. The facilitators were nursing journal reading, expert research team support, university and hospital partnerships, and international cooperation.

Conclusions: Given the small number and the high heterogeneity of the emerged studies, this systematic review provides an initial framework for the constraints that prevent, and the strategies that promote, Italian nurses' participation/conducting of research projects that could inform policies in this field.

Uvod: Glede na poročila so možnosti raziskovanja medicinskih sester v več državah še vedno omejene in njihov potencial zaradi številnih dejavnikov ni izkoriščen v celoti. Kljub njihovi pomembnosti za klinične namene in namene javnega zdravja doslej ni bil opravljen noben povzetek dejavnikov, ki vplivajo na možnosti raziskovanja v Italiji. Zato je bil poglavitni cilj tega pregleda opredeliti dejavnike, ki ovirajo in omogočajo izvajanje raziskav, kot jih dojemajo italijanske medicinske sestre.

Metode: Opravili smo sistematični pregled. Preiskali smo naslednje podatkovne zbirke: ILISI ® (Indice della Letteratura Italiana di Scienze Infermieristiche) MEDLINE-via PubMed, CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), Ovid, Open Grey, Google Scopus in Web of Science. Osem študij je izpolnjevalo merila za vključitev.

Rezultati: Študije so bile večinoma deskriptivne, dve pa sta bili kvazieksperimentalni. Opredelili smo skupaj sedem ovir in štiri dejavnike, ki omogočajo izvajanje raziskav med italijanskimi medicinskimi sestrami. Ovire so bile slabo znanje angleškega jezika, razpoložljivost in dostopnost tehnologije in knjižnice, pomanjkanje osebja in časa, značilnosti kulture zdravstvene nege, pomanjkanje podpore pri vodenju v zdravstveni negi, omejena razpoložljivost financiranja ter birokratski postopek odbora za etiko. Dejavniki, ki omogočajo izvajanje raziskav, pa so bili branje revij s področja zdravstvene nege, podpora ekip strokovnih raziskovalcev, partnerstva z univerzami in bolnišnicami ter mednarodno sodelovanje.

Zaključki: Glede na majhno število in visoko heterogenost izvedenih študij ta sistematični pregled zagotavlja začetni okvir za ovire, ki preprečujejo, in strategije, ki spodbujajo sodelovanje italijanskih medicinskih sester ali omogočajo izvajanje raziskovalnih projektov, ki bi jih lahko uporabili kot podlago za oblikovanje politik na tem področju.

Keywords: barriers/ obstacles; clinical nursing research; enablers/ facilitators; nursing research; systematic reviews.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest The authors declare that no conflicts of interest exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram according to preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) (16). Legend: CINAHL=Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature; ILISI=Indice della Letteratura Italiana di Scienze Infermieristiche.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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