Background: A commonly recommended strategy for increasing research use in clinical practice is to identify barriers
to change and then tailor interventions to overcome the identified barriers. In nursing, the BARRIERS scale has been
used extensively to identify barriers to research utilization.
Aim and objectives: The aim of this systematic review was to examine the state of knowledge resulting from use of
the BARRIERS scale and to make recommendations about future use of the scale. The following objectives were
addressed: To examine how the scale has been modified, to examine its psychometric properties, to determine the
main barriers (and whether they varied over time and geographic locations), and to identify associations between
nurses' reported barriers and reported research use.
Methods: Medline (1991 to September 2009) and CINHAL (1991 to September 2009) were searched for published
research, and ProQuest® digital dissertations were searched for unpublished dissertations using the BARRIERS scale.
Inclusion criteria were: studies using the BARRIERS scale in its entirety and where the sample was nurses. Two authors
independently assessed the study quality and extracted the data. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used.
Results: Sixty-three studies were included, with most using a cross-sectional design. Not one study used the scale for
tailoring interventions to overcome identified barriers. The main barriers reported were related to the setting, and the
presentation of research findings. Overall, identified barriers were consistent over time and across geographic
locations, despite varying sample size, response rate, study setting, and assessment of study quality. Few studies
reported associations between reported research use and perceptions of barriers to research utilization.
Conclusions: The BARRIERS scale is a nonspecific tool for identifying general barriers to research utilization. The scale is
reliable as reflected in assessments of internal consistency. The validity of the scale, however, is doubtful. There is no
evidence that it is a useful tool for planning implementation interventions. We recommend that no further descriptive
studies using the BARRIERS scale be undertaken. Barriers need to be measured specific to the particular context of
implementation and the intended evidence to be implemented.