1. The Future of Nursing Research in Malawi E. Chirwa UNIMA - KCN

2. Presentation Outline Is nursing & Midwifery research needed? Are nurses &midwives conducting research? What nursing &midwives research opportunities are available? How can we enhance nursing &midwives research in Malawi?

3. Is Nursing Research Needed Is Nursing Research Needed? Nursing research is highly important for health care delivery and will always be needed. We need to be sensitive to those who are primary beneficiaries of the knowledge we build from our research. We need research that has evidence for practice.

4. Are Nurses Conducting Research? Minimal nurse initiated research. Mostly: - Masters and PhD research - Consultancies - Project related (NGOs) Nursing research dissemination “culture” slowly surfacing ( presentations at local and international conferences, local and international publications) Research capacity minimal.

5. What nursing research opportunities are available? Local postgraduate programs initiated – with research requirements Master of Science in Midwifery ( 2008) Master of Degree in Reproductive Health (2009) Master of Science in Child Health Nursing (2010) Master of Science in Nursing and Midwifery Education (2012) Master of Science in Community Health Nursing (2012) PhD program - in the pipe line

6. What nursing research opportunities are available? Functioning research support office ( few institutions) International partners – interested in collaborative research with nurses Many un researched areas – mental health, geriatrics, health promotion, environmental risks

7. How can we enhance nursing research in Malawi? Capacity building for research – workshops on proposal writing, methods, publication Create financial support for research Local and international collaboration –university and non university institutions Create international research centers

8. How can we enhance nursing research in Malawi? Build research programs rather than projects – stay on the topic bit by bit until knowledge that can inform practice is developed. Conduct multi disciplinary research – holistic approach to research Increase dissemination of findings

9. How can we enhance nursing research in Malawi? Transfer research findings to policy and practice: - Create quality improvement units - Test interventions and integrate into practice Mentor future nurse scientists!!!