The philosophy of Nursing Research at the University of Kentucky Hospital supports clinical and basic research to establish a scientific basis for the care of individuals and families across the life span. Nursing Research seeks to maintain an interdisciplinary, patient-focused approach to human health and illness and recognizes that human health lies on a continuum, supporting the Philosophy of Nursing at the University of Kentucky Hospital. Our research extends to problems encountered by patients, families, and caregivers and tends to concentrate more on improving the quality of patient care and comfort and less on disease processes. Nursing research is about understanding and easing symptoms of acute and chronic illness, preventing or delaying the onset of a disease or disability or slowing its progression, improving clinical settings in which care is provided, assessing the quality of care patients feel they are receiving and determining what can be done to improve their care. This research involves clinical care in a variety of settings including the emergent, operative, post-operative, critical care, acute care, outpatient, and community health care sites. Nursing Research efforts are crucial in the creation of scientific advances and their translation into cost-effective health care that does not compromise quality.

UKNR accomplishes its mission by providing professional nursing staff to educate and mentor clinical nursing staff in conducting research, obtaining grants from government and private research organizations, and disseminating the latest research results to healthcare providers. UKNR supports interdisciplinary collaborations. The University of Kentucky Hospital provides training opportunities for nursing students to learn about research issues and clinical strategies employed by investigators in nursing research. In addition, the Hospital supports collaboration between the academic and clinical sectors to provide a suitable setting for comprehensive research training to prepare individuals with requisite skills to conduct nursing research in a clinical setting.