A survey of research skills of members of the Association of British Paediatric Nurses

This report has been prepared for and funded by The Association of British Paediatric Nurses (ABPN) and presents the findings of a small survey about research skills of their members. The project aims were: · To find out about and improve the research awareness and skills of ABPN members. · Identification of children’s nursing research within one database in the U.K. A specifically devised questionnaire was distributed to 1,050 members during 2006. Although the response rate was poor, the final response was just 13% (n=129). However, results were very interesting. The study population largely consisted of children’s nurses with over 15 years experience in their field. Overall the survey highlighted that, in those who replied, there was a sound base of educational qualifications. Participants holding academic and split academic-clinical posts demonstrated higher mean scores for self-assessed research knowledge. Only one participant stated that they were not interested in pursuing research further. Areas of greatest knowledge included systematic reviews, critical appraisal and qualitative research, and areas of least knowledge included funding, personal publication profiles, research development and governance