Do registered nurses read the literature related to nursing?

Abstract

The aims of this study are to investigate whether registered nurses view reading as order to keep current in knowledge, nurses read the literature related being important in whether registered to nursing and the frequency with which they read, what registered nurses read most and which are the main sources of literature for registered nurses. The study proposed is a survey of a simple random sample of 50 qualified, registered nurses, providing nursing care to clients in acute areas in St. Luke's Hospital and Karin Grech Hospital (Malta). The data collection tool to be used is a personal interview schedule which has been translated into and would be conducted in Maltese. A pilot study, using a convenient sample of 5 registered nurses who were eligible for inclusion according to the criteria established for the full-scale study, was carried out to test the instrument. This showed that only small changes were needed and so the interview schedule could be used without further testing. The study should provide an indication of the present situation with regards to reading amongst registered nurses and serve as a useful basis for further studies on continuing education.