Keywords

nursing research, research methods, survey

 

Authors

  1. Siedlecki, Sandra L. PhD, RN, CNS
  2. Butler, Robert S. MS
  3. Burchill, Christian N. PhD, RN, CEN

Abstract

The clinical nurse specialist is in a unique position to identify and study clinical problems in need of answers, but lack of time and resources may discourage nurses from conducting research. However, some research methods can be used by the clinical nurse specialist that are not time-intensive or cost prohibitive. The purpose of this article is to explain the utility of survey methodology for answering a number of nursing research questions. The article covers survey content, reliability and validity issues, sample size considerations, and methods of survey delivery.