Registered nurses' self-rated research utilization in relation to their work climate: Using cluster analysis to search for patterns.

Aim: To describe and study the association between registered nurses' self-rated research utilization and their perception of their work climate.

Background: Research utilization is an important part of evidence-based nursing, and registered nurses value a work climate that supports the possibility to work evidence-based.

Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted using the Creative Climate Questionnaire together with three questions measuring instrumental, conceptual and persuasive research utilization. The analysis was done using variable- and pattern-oriented approaches.

Results: An association was found between research utilization and experience of dynamism/liveliness. Women reported higher use of conceptual research utilization. Regarding work climate, younger registered nurses and registered nurses with less work experience gave higher scores for playfulness/humour and conflicts. The results showed an association between having a Bachelor's or Master's degree and higher instrumental research utilization.

Discussion: Research utilization was higher in registered nurses with higher academic education. Low users of research tended to experience a lack of dynamism and liveliness, which indicates the importance of improving the work climate by creating a climate that allows opinions and initiate discussions.

Conclusion: The findings support the importance of creating a work climate that encourages reflection and discussion among registered nurses, and to promote academic education for nurses plus an optimal work-place staffing-mix.

Summary Statement: What is already known about this topic? Research utilization is an important part of evidence-based nursing. Registered nurses value a work climate that supports the possibility to work evidence-based. Little is known about the association between how nurses use research in clinical work and how they perceive their work climate. What this paper adds? Low research users tended to experience low dynamism and liveliness in their work climate, showing the importance of improving the work climate in health care organizations to support clinical nurses' ability to express opinions and initiate discussions. The association between work climate and the use of research among nurses needs further investigation. Our findings support previous research showing that a higher academic level is associated with increased research among registered nurses working clinically, and therefore benefits patient outcomes. The implications of this paper: The association between low research utilization and experience of low dynamism and liveliness indicates the importance of improving the work climate by creating an atmosphere where nurses can express their opinions and initiate discussions. There is a need to support clinical registered nurses to maintain their research utilization throughout their working career. The health care sector and the individual workplace should support registered nurses in furthering their academic level.