Guest Editorial
What’s the Rush? Internal Validity Is Not a Trivial Pursuit

Research in Gerontological Nursing  Vol. 3 No. 1 January 2010

By Christine R. Kovach, PhD, RN, FAAN

The goal of gerontological nursing research is to improve the health and well-being of older adults. Yet, a variety of critics have faulted this and other health care research for failing to influence public health policy and decision making. Research, critics say, has produced conflicting findings and esoteric reports that are not useful to public policy makers or clinicians. The conditions under which a gerontological nursing intervention is researched may be quite different than the conditions under which a policy is implemented; therefore, implementing an intervention program on a large scale may yield different outcomes than found in the original study. As one public official at a department on aging told me in frustration, “I want a phone number I can call where the researcher on the other end will give me the answers to the questions I have or will get me the answers.” In other words, there is an expectation that the research community will produce a solution or “bottom line” evidence that is useful to policy makers. This expectation is understandable given the complex health problems facing older adults that desperately need solutions. This editorial presents some thoughts on protecting the science of discovery in gerontological nursing, while being responsive to the need for generalizable interventions that can inform policy.

AUTHOR

Christine R. Kovach, PhD, RN, FAAN

Professor

Methods Core Director, Self-Management Science Center

College of Nursing

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

The author discloses that she has no significant financial interests in any product or class of products discussed directly or indirectly in this activity, including research support.

doi:10.3928/19404921-20091214-01