What is a theory-practice gap An exploration of the concept?

In nursing literature, the phrase ‘theory-practice gap’ is widely used without common definition or description of its underlying concept. A theoretical definition is developed, the data search that was undertaken is described and a discussion of the attributes, antecedents and consequences is provided.

What is theory-practice gap in the field of nursing?

The gap between nursing theory and practice is broadly documented and discussed in the literature [3-5], that can be defined as the inconsistency between what student nurses acquire through theoretical classroom lectures and what they experience in the clinical setting [6].

Why is there a theory-practice gap?

Scarce supervision on nurses’ work, a part-time presence of clinical instructors, little use of nurses and mentorships to evaluate the students, instructors’ negligence toward evaluation, and methods for providing feedback are the reasons for theory-practice gap.

What is practice gap in research?

As nursing evolves from an occupation based on tradition to an evidence-based profession, concerns are being raised about the apparent disconnect between best practice and actual practice; a concern referred to as the research-practice gap.

How do you close the theory practice gap?

In this regard, Levin (2010) argued constructivist approach could close the theory- practice gap by promoting experimental learning, which encourages nurses become active participants by applying the knowledge acquired into real practice.

What is an evidence based Gap?

An evidence-practice/policy gap is the difference between what is known from the best available research evidence and what is practised in reality (through delivery of medical care or drafting of policies or guidelines).

Is there a gap between theory and practice?

In the main, the gaps between the theory and the practice of a theoretical activity are such that they can be closed by taking action that is consistent with the basic procedural principles incorporated in the conceptual system guiding the activity in question.

How do you close the theory-practice gap?

How do you identify a research gap?

Here are 6 tips to identify research gaps:

1. Look for inspiration in published literature.
2. Seek help from your research advisor.
3. Use digital tools to seek out popular topics or most cited research papers.
4. Check the websites of influential journals.
5. Make a note of your queries.
6. Research each question.

What are gaps in evidence?

A method or practice is an evidence gap if: Systematic literature reviews find there is no conclusive evidence of benefits and harms. No systematic literature reviews can be identified.

Does a theory practice gap exist?

The theory–practice gap is not only real, but it results in diminished patient care and inefficient nursing practice. It also results in failure or excessive lag time in incorporating or deleting clinical practices based on current evidence (Table).

How do you identify evidence gaps?

The methods for identifying gaps included different study designs, examples included primary research methods (quantitative surveys, interview, and focus groups), secondary research methods (systematic reviews, overview of reviews, scoping reviews, evidence mapping and bibliometric analysis), primary and secondary …

Is there such a thing as a theory practice gap?

DOI: 10.1016/j.nepr

Is there a gap between theory and practice in nurse education?

For nurse educators, the dichotomy between the theoretical input taught in the classroom and what is practised or experienced on the wards remains a perennial problem (Landers 2000), and nowhere is this gap so large as for newly qualified students.

What is the difference between theory and practice?

In the view of Chapman (2017) the theory-practice gap can be viewed in the following ways: The difference between idealised practice and common practice. The difference between taught general principles and the difficulty in interpreting them for application to a specific situation.

Is it possible to close the research-practice gap?

To date, all attempts to bring research and practice closer together have been at best only partially successful. So, given that expectations of completely closing the research-practice gap are unrealistic, how can nurse academics and educators help to support a closer relationship between research and clinical practice?