Abstract

Introduction: scientific development of nursing has been made possible by its establishment as a discipline of its own based on care experience. Currently, nursing research needs to position itself in health institutions as a relevant topic, since it makes quality care and care security possible. Purpose: to identify the factors that have an impact on the development of nursing research in a public hospital in Chile. Methods: a cross-sectional quantitative study with descriptive analysis, in which 28 nurses were surveyed. An instrument based on the questionnaire of personal and institutional factors related to the development of scientific research by nurses was administered to them. Results: all participants (100%) considered research to be important; however, lack of knowledge of institutional factors was noted regarding financial support (71.4%), limited time to carry out research during the work shift (96.4%), and perceived work overload (89.3%). This last issue was present in 50% of the nurses who did not have research outputs. Discussion: institutional and personal factors affecting the development of nursing research were identified. Conclusions: health institutions should establish mechanisms to promote the development of nursing research, which will improve care practices and, as a consequence, the safety and quality of care.