Assessment of Research Capacity Among Nursing Faculty in a Clinical Intensive University in The Philippines.

BACKGROUND

Many nursing studies are conducted in the United States, Europe, and Australia, where only a fourth of the world's population resides. There is a need to promote nursing research in Asia to enhance the contextual relevance of their evidence-based nursing interventions. A first step toward this goal is to determine the perceived research capacity among nursing faculty in academic settings in the Philippines.

METHODS

This study described the perceived research capacity among nursing faculty of the University of Santo Tomas - College of Nursing, Manila, Philippines. The study used a survey that contained four sections: subject demographics; knowledge and skill on research designs and research process; research involvement, services, and incentives; and factors affecting research involvement. Chi-square test of homogeneity and MANOVA analyzed the gathered data.

RESULTS

Findings showed that the faculty perceived themselves as knowledgeable and skillful in conducting research. However, current teaching assignments hindered their capacity to conduct research. University-sponsored incentives and college-based research services had also remained underutilized despite their availability. Overall, heavy teaching load was the greatest hindrance to research endeavors.

CONCLUSION

Actions must be taken to reconfigure effort allocations with careful consideration of existing university and institutional bylaws.