Nursing research improving practice: a review

This paper offers a review of the papers presented during the Nursing Research Improving Practice symposium and a synopsis of the issues that arose from the discussion following the symposium, Some of these will have an impact on future directions for nursing research in aged care, and seem to be applicable world wide. The idea for the symposium came from the knowledge that there is an increasing need to articulate the research base for nursing practice, to explain what nurses do and to advance the discipline as a major contributor to health care delivery. Unfortunately the research-practice gap seems to be still alive and well in Australia and feedback from colleagues from other countries indicates they have the same problem.