Evidence for psychiatric nursing practice: an analysis of three years of published research

Psychiatric and mental health nursing practice continues to be strongly influenced by tradition, unsystematic trial and error, and authority. Yet the need for quality care that is based on the best and most current empirical research is well documented. Achieving evidence-based practice in the psychiatric nursing specialty will require that qualified nurse researchers conduct research relevant for practice and appropriately disseminate that research to those who can best use it, practicing nurses. This State of the Evidence Review analyzed the 227 data-based studies published in the five most commonly read American psychiatric nursing journals from January 2000 through December 2002. Five major research foci were found: global perspectives, psychiatric nurses as subjects, studies of family caregivers, research with clients across the life span, and testing of nursing interventions. About 88% of the studies were conducted in the United States; 63% involved recipients of mental health care services; but only 11% tested psychiatric nursing interventions. Promoting evidence-based practice in psychiatric nursing will require increasing the numbers of psychiatric nurse researchers, enriching the research process (i.e., increasing relevance and appropriate dissemination), and implementing changes in practice that are based on the best and most currently available evidence, rather than on the equivalents of "Old Wives' Tales."