Psychiatric Nursing Researchers: Canaries in the Gold Mine?

摘要

Stein (2014) recently raised a series of valid questions about the number of abstracts at the 27th Annual American Psychiatric Nursing (APNA) Conference. The number of psychiatric nursing research presentations is a frequent topic of discussion at psychiatric nursing conferences over the past few years, including our own annual conference. Discussions often begin with a comparison of the percentage of research presentations compared to the percentage of practice and education presentations. At first glance, the percentage of presentations by psychiatric nurse researchers appears to be far fewer than compared to education and^ practice. Discussion of the paucity of research presentations inevitably reaches an alarming tone. Several of the discussions draw similarities between psychiatric nurse researcher presentations at conferences and canaries singing in coalmines. Historically, canaries, being sensitive due to their small size and rapid respiratory rates, become ill before the miners feel the effects of toxic gases. The sudden absence of the canaries' songs means it is time for miners to either put on respirators or leave the mine (National Research Council, Committee on Animals as Monitors of Environmental Hazards, 1991). The end point of these discussions inevitably focuses on a single question, "Where are all the psychiatric nurse researchers"? The APNA Board of Directors decided to explore and respond to these questions raised by nurse researchers.