Yes. Change can be painful.
Yes. It is easier to do things the way we’ve always done them (and been seemingly successful).
Yet, most of us want to work more efficiently or improve our own or patients’ health.
So, there you have the problem: a tension between status quo and change. Perhaps taking the easy status quo is why ‘everyday nurses’ don’t read research.
Ralph (2017) writes encountering 3 common mindsets that keep nurses stuck in the rut of refusing to examine new research:
- I’m not a researcher.
- I don’t value research.
- I don’t have time to read research.
But, he argues, you have a choice: you can go with the status quo or challenge it (Ralph). And (admit it), haven’t we all found that the status quo sometimes doesn’t work well so that we end up
- choosing a “work around,” or
- ignoring/avoiding the problem or
- leaving the problem for someone else or
- ….[well….,you pick an action.]
How to begin solving the problem of not reading research? Think of a super-interesting topic to you and make a quick trip to PubMed.com. Check out a few relevant abstracts and ask your librarian to get the articles for you. Read them in the nurses’ lounge so others can, too.
Let me know how your challenge to the status quo works out.
Bibliography: Fulltext available for download through https://www.researchgate.net/ of Ralph, N. (2017 April). Editorial: Engaging with research & evidence is a nursing priority so why are ‘everyday’ nurses not reading the literature, ACORN 30(3):3-5. doi: 10.26550/303/3.5
Discovering Your Inner Scientist 
I’m trying to think back to when I didn’t read research…I think the articles as they were written then were very intimidating. I know now they’re encouraging authors to use first person and to make them understandable. Perhaps that will help.
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so true, Nancy! Scales that measure barriers to research use include the barrier of research being difficult to read. I think it efforts to be precise, we researchers sometimes make our work inaccessible. (not good)
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