Abstract
According to Swedish Public Health and Medical Services Law the nurse is obliged to do her work in agreement with science. The intention in the Law of Swedish Higher Education is to give the future nurse a positive attitude to research and development work. Earlier research indicates difficulties in implementing scientific research results on nursing in practice. The purpose of this study was to describe the nurses' (working clinically) ideas of scientific research on nursing and application of the results in practical work. The result has been achieved by qualitative analysis of interviews made with 10 nurses working in out-patient and in-patient care. Central concepts in the study were tradition, experience, notions and attitudes. The result shows that the traditions influencing the notions of the nurse are a practical approach to knowledge, demand for conformity and women's rights. The nurse's experience of scientific research on nursing was received during the time of study, but was not considered useful at clinical work. The opinion is that the scientist is working in another world and uses a language impossible to understand. The attitude is a deliberate choice where the nurse chooses not to have her work related to research work and an experience of lacking possibilities to put research results into practice. Four areas of importance were identified to make the nurse's work related to science. These were the education, the occupational group, the organization and the research institution. To make the nurse's work related to science cooperation and an open attitude are necessary between the persons involved in the different areas.