A National Scoping Study on Barriers to Conducting and Using Research Among Nurses in the United Arab Emirates

Abstract

It is important that nurses fully engage with the development and use of evidence-based practice so they can influence policy and improve patient care. There are significant challenges in developing nursing research and evidence-based practice in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Therefore, the UAE Nursing and Midwifery Council formed a Scientific Research Subcommittee to lead the development of nursing research. Following a literature review to assess the status of nursing research in the UAE, the Subcommittee initiated a study to clarify UAE nurses’ perceptions of barriers to implementing research. The results were expected to enable comparisons with other countries and establish a baseline on which to build and prioritize initiatives to address identified barriers. A cross-sectional design with convenience sampling was used to survey 606 nurses from across the UAE. The survey included the BARRIERS questionnaire and was administered online and in paper-based formats. The top three nurse-perceived barriers that affected nurses’ use of research in the UAE (in descending order) were as follows: lack of authority to change patient care procedures, insufficient time to read research, and insufficient time on the job to implement new ideas. The highest ranked barriers to nurses conducting research in the UAE were lack of time and competing demands for time. The findings of this survey and a published literature review informed development of a strategy to address identified barriers to nurses in the UAE using and conducting research. This multifaceted strategy includes initiatives to reform policy and practice at local and national levels.

Synthesizing core nursing skills to support behavioural‐based interviews for nurses in the UAE: A nominal group study

“…Research literacy and engagement of nurses in research have been identified as problematic in the UAE (Al‐Yateem, Almarzouqi, et al, 2020; Al‐Yateem et al., 2019; Al‐Yateem et al., 2019; McCreaddie et al., 2018). Therefore, an informed decision was made to recruit participants who could provide the required data for this study and engage in a relatively complex research process (i.e.…”

“…Recent research suggests that the heterogeneous and peripatetic UAE nursing workforce negatively affects the development of the nursing profession per se and acts as a barrier to future expansion. These workforce characteristics have partly been attributed to the UAE's slow and frequently interrupted progress in important issues on the national nursing agenda, such as specialization, evidence-based practice and research (Al-Yateem et al, 2019, 2020Al-Yateem, Almarzouqi, et al, 2020;McCreaddie et al, 2018).…”

Leadership for professional advancement and evidence‐based practice in UAE: Now more than ever

“…Many barriers to evidence‐based practice have been identified both internationally and locally, including a lack of organisational and leadership support (Al‐yateem et al., 2019; Ay, Gençtürk, & Turan Miral, 2014; Forsman, Rudman, Gustavsson, Ehrenberg, & Wallin, 2010; Runciman et al., 2012). Leadership is essential for the implementation of evidence‐based nursing practice (Bianchi et al., 2018; Castiglione, 2020; Cheng et al., 2018).…”

“…After being established in 2016, the Scientific Research Sub‐committee assessed the status of nursing research in the UAE and identified barriers that hindered the research and evidence‐based agenda (Al‐yateem et al., 2019; McCreaddie et al., 2018). The committee then produced a comprehensive strategic research plan that highlighted the way forward, along with several recommendations for implementation (UAE‐NMC Research Subcommittee, 2018).…”

“…The committee then produced a comprehensive strategic research plan that highlighted the way forward, along with several recommendations for implementation (UAE‐NMC Research Subcommittee, 2018). However, there is no overt evidence of any actions taken by higher nursing leadership to implement any of these recommendations and suggested action plans (Al‐yateem et al., 2019; McCreaddie et al., 2018).…”