Building organizational capacity to engage in research utilization.

The Orange County Research Utilization in Nursing (OCRUN) Project developed a regional network of nursing service organizations (NSOs) with a shared commitment to building organizational capacity to engage in research use. Over 3 years, 20 nursing service and 6 academic institutions participated in the OCRUN Project, sending 374 nurses to tiered OCRUN continuing education courses that focused on role-specific research utilization competency development. The project influenced nurse executives' perceptions of organizational readiness for change and catalyzed changes in strategic goals, accountability, and resources, ultimately influencing each NSO's reported research utilization processes and outcomes. Recommendations stemming from the OCRUN Project address potential NSO strategies to enhance research use.