Community psychiatric nursing a research‐based profession?

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Abstract
This paper examines the relationship between research and professionalism, and considers the question of why research is necessary for the development of nursing. Suggestions which have been made for areas suitable for community psychiatric nursing research are looked at, and comments from various authors regarding the lack of evaluative (as opposed to descriptive or prescriptive) studies are noted. The paper goes on to look at recent CPN research, and finds mainly small-scale and locally-oriented studies. Three studies which look at the work of community psychiatric nurses (CPNs) in detail are examined; two of these found CPN practice to be lacking in any research or theory base, and in effect suggested therapeutic incompetence in dealing with neurotic clients. The third concluded the opposite, but suggested a need for more specialized training. The paper, which includes an appendix an overview of 36 recent (1983-1988) research studies of interest to CPNs, concludes that, if research is necessary precursor to autonomous professional development, such research into CPN practice has yet to be done.