 Jai Chung |
About the author:Jai Chung, RN, BN, GradDipSci BiolSci, MHSci, is a staff nurse at Canterbury District Health Board. |
RESEARCH IS VITAL FOR NURSING. In contemporary practice, nurses need to be able to justify decision-making by providing rationales based on evidence. I am a graduate of a new initiative in nursing education – a graduate-entry nursing pathway that combines the requirements for a bachelor of nursing with a masters-level nursing programme. This pathway provides a post-graduate bridge between previous degrees and a bachelor of nursing. It offers an intensive nursing curriculum, which prepares nurses to implement evidence-based practice.
Having a science background in my previous degree, I see this intensive programme as preparing registered nurses to think broadly and critically to integrate both science and art into optimal nursing care. Learning how to search for appropriate literature, and use critical appraisal skills to evaluate evidence for practice, contributes to effective nursing care for health consumers. The art of nursing is in being able to judge how this best evidence is consistent, or not, with health consumers’ needs and preferences.
The professional and legal requirements of contemporary nursing practice oblige nurses to provide health consumers with optimal care and to ensure they are empowered to making informed choices about their care (Mazurek et al, 2014; Spruce, 2015). Having an intellectual curiosity about research offers nurses an exciting opportunity to explore the implications of using evidence-based practice in daily nursing care.
Use of evidence-based practice has the potential to become a bridge connecting nurses, health consumers and other health professionals. It can provide continuous refinements to nursing practice, and may lead to a growing confidence and maturity in the profession, along with an improved multidisciplinary team approach to providing care.
References
Melnyk, B. M., Lynn, G.-F., English, L. L., & Ellen, F.-O. (2014). The establishment of evidence-based practice competencies for practicing registered nurses and advanced practice nurses in real-world clinical settings: Proficiencies to improve healthcare quality, reliability, patient outcomes, and costs. Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, 11(1), 5-15.
Spruce, L. (2015). Back to basics: Implementing evidence-based practice. AORN Journal, 101(1), 106-114.
Daily doses – uncut news
| 5 Oct |
Labour's pay rise a first step, but pay equity needs a full settlementTōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO has welcomed Labour's promised pay rise for care and support workers as a first step. It says care and support workers now need a full settlement of their pay equity claim and a workable pay equity system for all of its members. |
| 1 Oct |
Health NZ releases first national report on serious adverse eventsHealth New Zealand has published its first national Serious Adverse Event Report, acknowledging the serious harm experienced by patients and whānau and outlining the improvements identified and actions underway to strengthen patient safety. The report covers serious adverse events reported in Hospital and Specialist Services between 1 July and 31 December 2025. |
| 25 Sept |
380 more health care workers at the end of winter too little too lateAn announcement of 380 additional nurses, midwives and health care assistants for hospitals around the country at the end of winter is too little too late, NZNO says. |
| 23 Sept |
Auckland University research finds nurse shortages increase post-surgery deaths and complicationsNew research by Auckland University has found addressing nurse shortages in post-operative care may save 182 lives a year because short-staffed wards have higher rates of potentially preventable deaths and complications after their surgeries. |
| 21 Sept |
Whanganui Hospital ED averaged 680% capacity over a week
Working in an overcrowded emergency department (ED), up to 680% capacity over a week, makes staff feel overwhelmed with the pressure, Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO says.
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| 14 Sept |
WellSouth's Newborn Enrolment Kahu Taurima Programme a finalist at the Primary Care Awards 2026WellSouth's Newborn Enrolment Kahu Taurima Programme is a finalist at the Primary Care Awards for the HALEO Best Supplier Service, Product or Campaign category. Winners will be announced on 17 October. |
| 14 Sept |
Global Study: Nursing Shortages Require Workforce Policy Solutions, Not Recruitment Campaigns AloneWhy people choose nursing, and why they leave, comes down to the same factors. The global nursing shortage cannot be solved simply by encouraging more people to enter the profession, according to a new evidence brief. |
| 8 Sept |
Overworked, understaffed Gisborne ED staff strike
Health and safety concerns arising from unsafe staffing levels have forced nurses at Gisborne Hospital’s emergency department (ED) to go on strike.
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| 4 Sept |
Strong growth in wāhine Māori and Pacific women’s cervical screening rates highlights success of self-testing programmeCervical screening participation has increased significantly for both wāhine Māori and Pacific women, reflecting the strong impact of self-testing, Screening Services and the dedicated efforts of health providers working alongside their communities. |
| 4 Sept |
Government must adopt Wai 2713 recommendations on disability systemThe Coalition Government must urgently adopt new recommendations from the Waitangi Tribunal which has found significant parts of the disability system prejudice tāngata whaikaha Māori (Māori with disabilities), NZNO says. |
| 31 Aug |
Employing graduate nurses will help keep them in nursing and the countryA new proposal that will require Te Whatu Ora to offer all eligible graduate nurses jobs in the public health system will help keep them in nursing and in Aotearoa New Zealand, NZNO says. |
| 26 Aug |
Health Minister’s claim Winter Plan ‘managing well’ delusionalHealth Minister Simeon Brown’s claim that hospitals are ‘managing well’ because of the Government’s Winter Plan is delusional, NZNO says. |
| 25 Aug |
Hospital data shows nursing shortages continue to put patients at riskTe Whatu Ora data released today shows patients are continuing to be put at risk by the Coalition Government’s deliberate failure to safely staff hospital wards, NZNO says. |
| 24 Aug |
Fed-up North Shore ED staff declare state of emergencyNZNO members working in the emergency department (ED) at North Shore Hospital have declared a state of emergency due to unsafe staffing levels resulting in ongoing overcrowding. |
| 19 Aug |
What happened to the winter health plan?The $25 million 2026 Winter Plan launched by Health Minister Simeon Brown in March to erase pressure on the health system has been an unmitigated disaster, Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO says. |
| 11 Aug |
Applications open for advanced nursing education programmesHealth New Zealand is encouraging registered nurses to apply for two advanced education programmes that support nurses to further develop their clinical skills and expand access to care in communities across New Zealand. |
| 3 Aug |
Health New Zealand welcomes settlement of NZRDA collective agreementHealth New Zealand welcomes the vote by New Zealand Resident Doctors Association (NZRDA) members to settle their collective agreement. |
| 30 Jul |
Backing our frontline rural health workforceRural communities across New Zealand will benefit from three new investments that will support the rural health workforce and help more people access care closer to home, Associate Health Minister Matt Doocey says. |
| 22 Jul |
Te Whatu Ora must disclose staffing levels at time of tragic deathTe Whatu Ora must disclose whether the Waikato emergency department (ED) was short-staffed at the time a man tragically died in the waiting room, NZNO says. |
| 6 Jul |
Reflecting on IND 2026Looking back on last month’s International Nurses Day 12 May 2026 (IND 2026), the impact of this year's theme "Our Nurses. Our Future. Empowered Nurses Save Lives" continues to resonate across the world. ICN’s landmark IND 2026 report defined seven key powers of nursing and this message has been strengthened with nurses in every region celebrating, naming, and owning their powers throughout May. |
| 3 Jul |
Health New Zealand acknowledges Ombudsman statement on Wakari Ward 10AHealth NZ welcomes the independent investigation by the Ministry of Health into Ward 10A. On Wednesday the Health NZ board agreed to close Wakari Ward 10a as a forensic intellectual disability (ID) unit, with the future use of the ward yet to be determined. |
| 2 Jul |
New programme to fast track bowel cancer care and cut colonoscopy waitlistsHealth New Zealand is today launching a national initiative, designed to fast track bowel cancer care and reduce colonoscopy waitlists by up to 30 per cent. |
| 1 Jul |
Six new Co-Response Team locations announced to strengthen support for people in mental distressThe next six locations for Health New Zealand and NZ Police Co-Response Teams have been confirmed, expanding a model that helps people experiencing mental distress receive timely, wraparound support that better meets their health needs. |
| 29 Jun |
Mental health and addiction targets progress continuesHealth New Zealand continues to make important progress against its mental health and addiction targets, meeting four out of five national targets this quarter. |
| 25 Jun |
Access to care continuing to improve across a range of health indicatorsNew health data released today shows continued improvement in access to care across a range of health indicators. |
| 18 Jun |
Funding "boost" continues dangerous under-funding of aged careThe Health Minister’s funding "boost" for aged residential care continues underfunding to the sector and will continue unsafe practices and short staffing, which is putting vulnerable residents at risk, NZNO says. |
| 16 Jun |
Labour to make maternity scans freeLabour will add free maternity scans to the Medicard alongside three free doctor’s visits a year, so every pregnant woman gets the care she needs. |
