Research capacity and training needs of nurses' in Shanghai, China

Aims: The aim of this study is to investigate nurses' research capacity and related training needs in Shanghai to provide evidence to further nursing research training. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional design with a convenience sample of 1226 clinical registered nurses, including the Nursing Research Capacity of Self-Evaluation Questionnaire and Research Training Needs Form, was recruited from 14 public hospitals in Shanghai, China. And the influencing factors of nurses' research capacity were analyzed. Results: The mean score of nurses' research capacity was (46.25 ± 22.90) in Shanghai, that was at a low-to-medium level. The influencing factors of nurses' research capacity including age ( F = 15.983, P < 0.001), education ( F = 20.738, P < 0.001), professional title ( F = 6.993, P = 0.001), working years ( F = 7.803, P < 0.001), department ( F = 8.545, P < 0.001), and position ( F = −3.354, P = 0.001). The most critical factor is the time to participate a study ( P < 0.001). And what the nurses demanded were writing skills, special lectures, and participating in colleagues' projects mostly. Conclusion: Nurse's scientific research capacity still needs to be improved in Shanghai. The key to improving this situation is the individualized scientific research training and education for nurses and the practice of more participation in scientific research projects.