Table 1.
Concepts in the ACT Survey
| Concept | Definition | Hypothesis | Sample item |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leadership 1 | The actions of formal leaders in an organization (unit) to influence change and excellence in practice, items generally reflect emotionally intelligent leadership | H1: Care providers who perceive more positive (emotionally intelligent) unit leadership report higher research use | The leader calmly handles stressful situations |
| Culture 1 | The way that "we do things' in our organizations and work units; items generally reflect a supportive work culture | H2: Care providers who perceive a more positive unit culture report higher research use | My organization effectively balances best practice and productivity |
| Evaluation 1 | The process of using data to assess group/team performance and to achieve outcomes in organizations or units (i.e., evaluation) | H3: Care providers who perceive a larger number of unit feedback mechanisms report higher research use | Our team routinely monitors our performance with respect to the action plans |
| Social Capital 1 | The stock of active connections among people. These connections are of three types: bonding, bridging, and linking | H4: Care providers who perceive more positive unit social capital activities report higher research use | People in the group share information with others in the group |
| Informal Interactions 2 | Informal exchanges that occur between individuals working within an organization (unit) that can promote the transfer of knowledge | H5: Care providers who perceive a larger number of informal unit interactions report higher research use | How often do you interact with people in the following roles or positions? - Someone who champions research and its use in practice |
| Formal Interactions 2 |
Formal exchanges that occur between individuals working within an organization (unit) through scheduled activities that can promote the transfer of knowledge | H6: Care providers who perceive a larger number of formal unit interactions report higher research use | How often do these activities occur? -Team meetings |
| Structural/Electronic Resources 3 | The structural and electronic elements of an organization (unit) that facilitate the ability to assess and use knowledge | H7: Care providers who perceive a larger number of unit structural and electronic resources report higher research use | How often do you use/attend the following? - Notice Boards |
| Organizational Slack | The cushion of actual or potential resources which allows an organization (unit) to adapt successfully to internal pressures for adjustments or to external pressures for changes | ||
| Staff 1 | H8: Care providers who perceive sufficient unit staffing levels report higher research use | Enough staff to deliver quality care | |
| Space 1 | H9: Care providers who perceive having sufficient space on their unit report higher research use | Use of designated space | |
| Time 1 | H10: Care providers who perceive having sufficient time on their unit report higher research use | Time to do something extra for patients | |
1 = Scale: 1-strongly disagree; 2-disagree; 3-neither agree nor disagree; 4-agree; 5-strongly agree
2 = Scale: 1-never; 2-rarely; 3-ocasionally; 4-frequently; 5-almost always
3 = Scale: 1-never; 2-rarely; 3-ocasionally; 4-frequently; 5-almost always; 6- not available.