Caught between a rock and a hard place: An intrinsic single case study of nurse researchers’ experiences of the presence of a nursing research culture in clinical practice

Aims and objectives: To explore how nurse researchers in clinical positions experience the presence of a nursing research culture in clinical practice. Background: Higher demands in the hospitals for increasing the quality of patient care engender a higher demand for the skills of health professionals and evidence-based practice. However, the utilisation of nursing research in clinical practice is still limited. Design: Intrinsic single case study design underlined by a constructivist perspective. Methods: Data were produced through a focus group interview with seven nurse researchers employed in clinical practice in two university hospitals in Zealand, Denmark, to capture the intrinsic aspects of the concept of nursing research culture in the context of clinical practice. A thematic analysis was conducted based on Braun and Clarke's theoretical guideline. Results: “Caught between a rock and a hard place” was constructed as the main theme describing how nurse researchers in clinical positions experience the presence of a nursing research culture in clinical practice. The main theme was supported by three subthemes: Minimal academic tradition affects nursing research; Minimal recognition from physicians affects nursing research; and Moving towards a research culture. Conclusions: The nurse researchers in this study did not experience the presence of a nursing research culture in clinical practice, however; they called for more attention on removing barriers against research utilisation, promotion of applied research and interdisciplinary research collaboration, and passionate management support. Relevance to clinical practice: The results of this case study show the pressure which nurse researchers employed in clinical practice are exposed to, and give examples on how to accommodate the further development of a nursing research culture in clinical practice.