{"id":2419,"date":"2022-10-30T13:00:06","date_gmt":"2022-10-30T13:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/ebn\/?p=2419"},"modified":"2022-10-06T10:34:20","modified_gmt":"2022-10-06T10:34:20","slug":"the-power-of-nurses-in-research-understanding-what-matters-and-driving-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/ebn\/2022\/10\/30\/the-power-of-nurses-in-research-understanding-what-matters-and-driving-change\/","title":{"rendered":"The power of nurses in research: understanding what matters and driving change"},"content":{"rendered":"

The next blog in our series focussing on how research evidence can be implemented into practice, Julie Bayley, Director of the Lincoln Impact Literacy Institute writes about the power of nurses in research and how nurses can support the whole research journey.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Research is a funny old beast isn\u2019t it? It starts life as a glint in a researcher\u2019s eye, then like a child needs nurturing, shuttling back and forth to events and usually requires constant checking to make sure it\u2019s not doing something stupid.<\/p>\n

As someone who spends the majority of their working life on impact \u2013 the provable benefits of research outside of the world of academia \u2013 it is extraordinarily clear to me how research can make the world better. And as a patient advocate \u2013 having chronically and not exactly willingly collected DVTs over the last decade \u2013 it\u2019s even more clear how good research and good care together<\/em> make a difference that matters.<\/p>\n

Having had some AMAZING care, nursing strikes me as both an art and a science. A brilliant technical understanding of healthcare processes combined magically with kindness, compassion and care.\u00a0 Having been hugged by nurses as I cried being separated from my newborn (post DVT), and watching nurses let dad happily talk them through his army photo album as they check on his dementia, I am in no doubt that such compassion is what marks the difference between not just being a patient, but being a person<\/em>.<\/p>\n

One of the oddities about research is how we can so often get the impression that only big and shiny counts. \u2018Superpower\u2019 studies such as Randomised Controlled Trials, and multi-national patient cohort studies are amazing, but can mask the breadth of the millions of questions research can explore in endless different ways. Of course<\/em> we need trials to determine \u2018what works\u2019, but we also need research to unveil the stories of those who feel their rarely heard, understand how<\/em> things work, and connect research to people\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n

Research essentially is just the act of questioning in a structured, ethical and transparent way. It might seek to understand things through numbers (quantitative) or words and experiences (qualitative), and may reveal something new or confirm something we already believe. Research is the bedrock of evidence based care, allowing us \u2013 either through new (\u2018primary\u2019) or existing (\u2018secondary\u2019) data \u2013 to explore, understand, confirm or disprove ways patients can be helped. Some of you reading this will be very research active, some of you might think it\u2019s not for you, some may not know where to start, and others may hate the idea altogether. Let\u2019s face it, healthcare is an extremely pressured environment, so why would you add research into an already busy day job? The simple truth is that research gives us a way to add to this care magic, helping to ensure care pathways are the best, safest and most appropriate in every situation.<\/p>\n

The pace and scale of research stories can make it easy to presume research is something \u2018other people\u2019 do, and whilst there are many brilliant professionals and professions within healthcare, nurses have a unique and phenomenally important place in research in at least three key ways:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Understanding what matters to patients. <\/strong>A person is far more than their illness, and being so integral to day to day care, nurses have a lens not only on patients\u2019 conditions, but how these interweave with concerns about their life, their livelihood, their loved ones and all else. And it is in this mix that the fuller impact of research can be really understood, way beyond clinical outcome measures, and into what it what matters<\/em>.<\/li>\n
  2. Understanding how to mobilise and implement new knowledge. <\/strong>Even if new research shows promise, the act of implementing it in a pressured healthcare system can be immensely challenging. Nurses are paramount for understanding \u2013 amongst many other things – how patients will engage (or not), what can be integrated into care pathways (or can\u2019t), what unintended consequences could be foreseen and what (if any) added pressures new processes will bring for staff. This depth of insight borne from both experience and expertise is vital to mobilising, translating and otherwise \u2018converting\u2019 research promise into reality.<\/li>\n
  3. Driving research<\/strong>. Nurses of course also drive research of all shapes and sizes. Numerous journals, such as BMC Nursing<\/a> and the Journal of Research in Nursing <\/a>bear testament to the wealth of research insights driven by nurses, and shared widely to inform practice.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Research isn\u2019t owned by any single profession, or defined by any size. Whatever methods, scale or theories we use, research is the act of understanding, and if nurses aren\u2019t at the heart of understanding the patient experience and the healthcare system, I don\u2019t know who is. So when it comes to research:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Recognise the value you already bring. You are front and centre in care which gives you a perspective on patient and system need that few others have. Ask yourself, what matters?<\/em><\/li>\n
    2. Recognise the sheer breadth of research possibilities, and the million questions it hasn\u2019t yet been used to answer. Ask yourself, what needs to be understood? <\/em><\/li>\n
    3. Use \u2013 or develop \u2013 your skills to do research. Connect with researchers, read up, or just get involved. Ask yourself, how can I make my research mark? <\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Research is important because people are important. If you\u2019re nearer the research-avoidant than the research-lead end of the spectrum, I\u2019d absolutely urge you to get more involved. Whether you shine a light on problems research could address, critically inform the implementation of research, or do the research yourself\u2026.<\/p>\n

      \u2026.from this patient and research impact geek\u2026<\/p>\n

      Thank you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      The next blog in our series focussing on how research evidence can be implemented into practice, Julie Bayley, Director of the Lincoln Impact Literacy Institute writes about the power of nurses in research and how nurses can support the whole research journey.\u00a0 Research is a funny old beast isn\u2019t it? It starts life as a […]<\/p>\n

      Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":388,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2419","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nThe power of nurses in research: understanding what matters and driving change - Evidence-Based Nursing blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/ebn\/?p=2419\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The power of nurses in research: understanding what matters and driving change - Evidence-Based Nursing blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The next blog in our series focussing on how research evidence can be implemented into practice, Julie Bayley, Director of the Lincoln Impact Literacy Institute writes about the power of nurses in research and how nurses can support the whole research journey.\u00a0 Research is a funny old beast isn\u2019t it? 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