Building health services research capacity in nursing: Views from members of nursing's leadership

Background: Despite a short history that dates back to the 1960s, health services research (HSR) has become an important force in shaping the delivery system in the current health care environment. Nursing has been noticeably absent from this endeavor, and if it does not increase its presence, it risks missing an important opportunity to influence future directions of health care delivery. Purpose: Our purpose was to evaluate the state of nursing's HSR contributions and to consider ways to increase its capacity in this arena. Method: An interview with four members from nursing's leadership was conducted. Discussion: Nurses can increase the capacity by becoming better collaborators with those who are currently contributing to HSR, both nurses and members of other healthcare disciplines. Also, by reshaping undergraduate and graduate curricula and creating mentorships, nursing can increase its involvement through an informed workforce. Conclusions: Solutions that were offered in this discussion are presented.