Doug Elliott Professor, Critical Care Nursing Clinical research: context and importance Research Workshop: ‘Conducting research in a clinical setting’
Roles of nurses in research ACCCN competencies: Reading, keep up to date (RN, …) Using, EB practices and protocols (RN, CNS, CNE) Cooperate, facilitate others’ projects (RO) Clinical co-investigators (CNC, RO, RN) Principal investigator (CNC, academic) Systematic review, policy development
The 4 A’s of Research AwarenessApplication AppreciationAbility (to do) NOT ALL nurses need to DO research, but ALL nurses must USE research in their practice
Practice triad for a learning organisation Clinical practice development Education & professional development Research production & utilisation
u Communication u Cooperation u Collaboration u Coordination Advancing Nursing Research
6 Clinical Nursing Research Professional Links Health Services Staff University staff / students Multi- disciplinary links International links National links
ACCCN Research Advisory Panel
Undertaking original research Identified question (literature search & review) Match question(s) to method(s) Identify research team Develop plan / submit proposal Implement and manage research participants and data Write-up and dissemination
Infrastructure & resources Support staff (warmware) Access to operational funds IT – software, hardware, internet access, library databases Funding opportunities Active organisational support to foster a research culture
Consider Workload / Timeframe Clinical Nurses (in particular) are time-poor: Direct patient care Down time Limited opportunities for research involvement Team approach: Balance work – flexible use of time Balance roles in the team
Funding for Research ACCCN Research Fund industry grants (eg Abbott research) Health Services University internal grants competitive grants NHMRC / ARC other focussed schemes Intensive Care Foundation
The Future: Challenges and Opportunities u Politics u Time-poor u Collective vision u Modelling – leadership / innovation / inquiry / engagement u 4Cs – communication, cooperation, collaboration, coordination
Goals Improve research utilisation in practice Increase primary clinical research activity Increase collaboration between sites and disciplines Develop a sharper focus Obtain external funding
Sharing the load
In a ‘politicised’ environment, we need to watch our back …
… and keep ahead of the pack!