Congress Abstracts 2005

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IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF NURSING RESEARCH: A RESEARCH APPROVAL PROCESS. Angela Epshtein, BA, MA, and Susan Bauer-Wu, DNSc, RN, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA.

The creation of a research approval process can improve the quality and reliability of nursing research conducted in clinical oncology settings. Development of a formal process and specific criteria for review of proposed research projects will facilitate scientifically rigorous studies that are more likely to produce high quality, publishable outcomes.

The creation of a research approval process emerged from an identified need to promote projects and provide structured feedback to both nurse scientists and nurse clinicians at a large, academic cancer center. Team members from The Phyllis F. Cantor Center for Research in Nursing and Patient Care Services at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) participated in a sequential method to develop a research approval process.

The formula for reviewing, critiquing, and summarizing recommendations was modeled after successful IRB procedures currently in place at DFCI. An interdisciplinary Scientific Review Committee (SRC) was formed to provide a forum for evaluating proposed projects and delivering written feedback and recommendations to the principal investigator. Representatives from Nursing (both clinical and research), Medicine, Pharmacy, Biostatistics, as well as faculty from affiliated schools of Nursing, were included in the SRC roster.

Feedback from principal and co-investigators indicated that the guidance provided by members of the interdisciplinary SRC improved the quality and feasibility of their studies. Additionally, the investigators have reported that critiques regarding specific content such as research methods and analysis enhanced their overall understanding of nursing research and facilitated approval by other institutional committees.

The creation and evolution of a research approval process promotes a more informed and inclusive research environment for nursing and patient care services staff at DFCI. Additionally, the nurse scientists and representatives from related disciplines who served on the SRC have formed a network of colleagues that may lead to future collaborative research activities. The use of a research approval process provides standards of excellence for nursing research that will, in turn, inform and improve oncology nursing research conducted within clinical settings.