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Woodrow P et at (2001) Establishing an in-house journal. Nursing Standard. 16, 9, 44-46. Date of acceptance: May 15 2001.
Summary
Articles in journals such as Nursing Standard offer nurses a valuable means to keep their knowledge updated, but how many people do you know who have written an article? The majority of research undertaken by nurses remains unpublished (Humphris 1999), so much potentially useful experience, knowledge, ideas and research are lost. This article describes how the School of Health, Biological and Environmental Sciences (HeBES) at Middlesex University established an in-house journal to encourage nurses to develop their skills of writing for publication.
Key words
* Literature
* Writing
These key words are based on subject headings from the British Nursing Index. This article has been subject to double-blind review.
NURSING AND midwifery are practice-based professions. Their knowledge base should, therefore, also be grounded in practice; drawing from, and relevant to, practice. The gap between theory and practice has long been a problem in nursing (Conway 1994, Cook 1991, Rolfe 1991). The demands for practice to be based on evidence (DoH 1999) necessitate that nursing reexamines its traditional methods of caring and moves towards practices that have been proven to be effective and efficient. In spite of this, too often local initiatives in practice are not disseminated nationally.
Limited dissemination deprives nurses of the opportunity to examine and adopt useful initiatives from elsewhere. And limiting further examination of new practices also limits the evidence base (for example, further research) for the new practice. Nursing practice has become increasingly dynamic, with professional emphasis on accountability (UKCC 1996).
Society's expectations of health care have increased; failure to meet these expectations often results in compensation claims, so litigation costs in the NHS have increased significantly (Fenn et al 2000). There is, therefore, a professional need for current evidence from practice, and so a professional duty to disseminate knowledge and experience (Jackson and Sheldon 2000). Publication provides a means to disseminate ideas and to generate local, national and international debate.
Writing for publication can give a sense of achievement. To see one's work in print in a journal such as Nursing Standard, and to know that it is available in many newsagents throughout the...