Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once said, 'Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.' This is true of healthcare across the globe, particular with reference to the links between research and practice. The advancement of knowledge through research is critical to the health sciences and the improvement of global health outcomes.
The term 'evidence-based practice' is now well embedded in the vernacular of researchers and health professionals across the world, as are the names of the organisations that 'spread the word' and advance the science of this sometimes-elusive force. Unfortunately, although the evidence-based movement has existed for some time now, separation of the elements (research and practice) still proves to be problematic.
There is little doubt that research outcomes are of little utility without clear and definitive links with clinical practice. It is essential that questions derived from practice drive research (in terms of focus), which in turn contributes to the uptake of research outcomes in clinical practice.
The centrality of practice to research endeavours remains important; however, strategies to ensure that this occurs are not always fruitful. Neither research nor practice can be successful in isolation. It is the interaction of the two that results in improved health outcomes. Although this is well recognised, finding a balance between these elements has often proved challenging for clinicians and researchers alike. Again, as Goethe would put it, these things are often 'simpler than you would think and more complex than you could imagine'.
The Joanna Briggs Institute was founded on the premise that research and practice are inextricably linked. It is driven by the belief that contemporary healthcare should strive to establish a professional orientation to clinical practice through both the intellectual pursuit of clinical knowledge and the institution of practice change.
The International Journal of Evidence-Based Healthcare, a publication of the Joanna Briggs Institute, is testimony to the Institute's commitment to drive these two endeavours (of research and practice) forward together and this is shown in the diversity of both authorship and focus of the articles contained in it. Not only are authors from a broad range of disciplines, but also the scope of the journal includes the synthesis, transfer and utilisation of research evidence.
This issue of the journal contains the inaugural Cochrane Nursing Care Corner which presents four summaries each issue of nursing care-related systematic reviews from the Wiley Cochrane Library. Members of the recently established Cochrane Nursing Care Network contribute to this new corner. This Nursing Care Network is made up of consumers of nursing care, nurses, formal and informal carers, other healthcare professionals, researchers and others involved in the delivery of nursing care who aim to raise awareness of and increase the use of research published in the Cochrane Library that impacts nursing care, again emphasising the critical relationship between research and practice. This connection is also 'underlined' by Professor Robin Watts AM, in the transcript of the Joanna Briggs Oration she delivered in November 2009. The present issue also contains a systematic review examining the role of cognitive leisure activities in preventing dementia1 along with a consideration of the evidence for treatment of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis with renal involvement.2 These papers present the best available evidence to inform decisions in practice while highlighting areas requiring further research again showing the need for a close relationship between research and practice.
The Joanna Briggs Institute, following a long affiliation with both the health system in South Australia and the University of Adelaide, is now formally moving to the University of Adelaide. The University's international focus on excellence in research and innovation and its strong links with clinical practice place it well as the new official 'home' to the Institute.
The University's strengths are the depth and dedication of its teams who work to promote better health, well-being and disease prevention in Australia and the world. This is in line with the Institute's desire to improve global health outcomes through the promotion and support of evidence-based practice and it is hoped that this new, formal relationship proves to be a long and rewarding one.
Executive Dean, Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
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