Exploring nurse educators' preparation of clinical nurses and midwives for research utilization in practice: A qualitative study

Background: Research utilization is crucial for enhancing nursing and midwifery practice by integrating evidencebased interventions. For effective research utilization, nursing and midwifery education, spearheaded by nurse educators, is required to prepare nurses and midwives for it. However, there is a lack of exploration into the preparation of clinical nurses and midwives for research utilization. Aim: This study explored nurse educators' preparation of clinical nurses and midwives for research utilization in practice. Design: Qualitative descriptive design. Setting: Kumasi, Ghana. Participants: Purposive and snowball sampling were used to select 33 nurse educators from one private university, one public university, and one nursing and midwifery training college. Methodology: Six focus group discussions were conducted using a semi-structured interview guide. Recorded data were transcribed and thematically analyzed and themes were developed related to clinical nurses' and midwives' preparation for research utilization. Results: Three themes emerged from the analyzed data: Preparation of nursing and midwifery students for research utilization; barriers in incorporating research utilization in nursing and midwifery education; and strategies to enhance research utilization in nursing and midwifery education. Nurses and midwives are not adequately prepared for research utilization during their nursing and midwifery education. Conclusion: The study revealed significant gaps in nurse educators' preparation of clinical nurses and midwives for research utilization in Ghana. These findings highlight the urgent need for curriculum review to include research use and enhancing the research capacity of educators. Also, the gaps in nursing and midwifery education identified imply that clinical nurses and midwives require training for research utilization in practice.