KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE OF NURSES TOWARDS RESEARCH IN RIVERS STATE TEACHING HOSPITAL

Research is one of the most fundamental aspects of Nursing, which plays a vital role in the ongoing advancement of nursing practice, education and administration, yet a lot of nurses shy away from conducting research. This study assessed the knowledge, attitude and practice of nurses towards research in Rivers State University Teaching Hospital. A descriptive cross sectional design was adopted for the conduct of the study. The target population comprised 152 nurses of Rivers State University Teaching Hospital of which the sample size was 110 nurses. The simple random sampling technique was used for this study and a self-structured questionnaire (KAPQ) was used in the collection of data from the respondents. A consent letter to the respondents was attached to the questionnaire, data collected was analysed with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25 and presented in tables and charts. The percentage and frequency were used to describe the demographic characteristics of the participants and answer research questions. The findings of this study revealed that 93.3% of the respondents have good level of knowledge towards research, the respondents had an attitude score of 60% which indicates positive attitude. The level of practice was proven to be low with a mean total of 1.2±0.8. This study revealed that respondents in the study have a good level of knowledge and attitude but an average level of practice towards research. Based on the findings, the study recommended that nurses should endeavor to engage in research activities for educational and professional growth and hospitals where nurses work should provide assistance and support to nurses carrying out research work.