Our Matron for Clinical Research, Naomi Hare, has co-authored a paper giving practical tools and advice to nurses on engaging with research. Naomi is an NIHR 70@70 Senior Research Leader and part of our Nightingale Academy.
She shared with us some of her advice for nurses.
Understanding research and evidence makes all the difference when it comes to providing the best possible care to patients and service users.
In our paper, we identified how knowledge drawn from research is fundamental to all aspects of nursing practice; health care professionals need an evidence base to identify the best treatments and medicines for patients, fill knowledge gaps and develop new ways of working. So nurses need to be able to understand research and apply research evidence in their daily practice, but they do not always know how to become more research-educated and research-proficient.
Our practical article aims to help nurses understand how they could facilitate and lead research activity. It provides tips to support integration of research evidence into care delivery and increase opportunity for patients to participate in clinical research.
We recognise that despite the motivation to engage with research, there are many barriers that prevent nurses integrating research in their clinical practice. These include a growing and sometimes overwhelming demand for healthcare, operational pressures such as challenged staffing levels and high acuity of caseload, and an ever growing research literature base which can present a seemingly unmanageable array of evidence when time and headspace is challenged. As a consequence, research activity and knowledge can still be viewed as an added extra to routine care delivery and not prioritised as a fundamental part of the patient pathway.
Based on the 2017 NHS England research plan, we focused on three areas to determine levels of engagement at which nurses can become research active:
- Level 1: awareness – Developing one’s research awareness and applying research evidence in clinical practice.
- Level 2: facilitation – Facilitating and contributing to clinical research.
- Level 3: leadership – Undertaking and leading clinical research and promoting a positive research culture.
Under each of these headings, a summary table provides a number of activities and simple tips for engagement such as registering for an NHS Open Athens account, shadowing a clinical research nurse or setting up a regular evidence at the team meeting or huddle.
In discussing the rationale for integrating research in nursing practice, we maintain that the quality of patient care cannot be improved solely by nurses whose role is primarily in research, but requires the sustained production and application of research evidence by every nurse, team, department and organisation. Indeed, nurses can use the research activities outlined in the article to count towards revalidation and the authors are keen to point out that these activities do not have to be onerous or ‘academic’.
Free training and resources are available through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and other organisations, while local research and development teams can support nurses within their organisation. Regional and national fellowships and internships are available for those who want to take their engagement with research one step further.
Applying research evidence and participating in research enables nurses to develop their competence and confidence in:
- Understanding treatments and explaining treatment options to patients
- Changing clinical practice and improving patient care
- Engaging with one’s practice and career development
- Understanding how research is funded, how it works and its place within the ‘bigger picture’ of healthcare policy.
Overall nurses who are educated and proficient in producing and applying research findings are well placed to assist in improving care for patients – which after all, is what we’re all here for.
