Conducting research:How to get started, carry it out and get published

‘Every path has its puddle’

Julie Sanders RGN, BSc, MScSenior Research Sister/Nurse Specialist in Cardiovascular Research

Division of Surgical and Interventional Sciences, UCL, London.SCTS 2008

‘Every path has its puddle’

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Aim to cover

Research in nursing and

AHP

Doing itGetting started Getting published

Sources of information

The future for nursing and

AHP research

Why nurses and AHPs should undertake research

‘…have a responsibility to deliver care based on current evidence, best practice and, where applicable, validated research when it is

available’

NMC 2002

A nursing workforce that is active in research will give nurses a chance to shape the evidence that informs their clinical practice

and to influence the broader agenda of health research

UKCRC 2006

Why nurses and AHPs don’t undertake research

• Difficulties in obtaining research funds Marsh and Brown 1992

• Lack of confidence about research skills Hicks 1996, Deans et al 1997

• Lack of time Pettingill et al 1994, Deans et al 1997

Nursing research in the UK

• A lack of critical mass of research active N, M and AHP professionals

• Of a workforce of approx 404,000 nurses just 600 work in the NHS on clinical research posts

• Professors make up only 2.6% of the academic nursing workforce; 12% in other disciplines

• During 1995, 900 nurses were registered for PhD, 60% were aged over 40, 8% only under 29years of age

‘It would be naïve and unrealistic… to expect that all cardiovascular nurses must or should conduct research, but all nurses – as consumers or producers of research – must

play some part in the research process’

(Thompson D 2004)

Getting started

Cornering a niche research agenda by:

• identifying the big research questions and priority topics in areas of greatest patient benefit and need

• majoring on research which translates into impacts

• making a wholesale move to programmatic research in focussed areas

• addressing fundamental issues related to N, M and AHP interventions

• creating a highly focussed, high profile centre of excellence in N, M and AHP research

• exploiting bioscience expertise, working collaboratively and thinking laterally

• engaging in multi-centre trials to identify best practice in key areas

Databases of ongoing and completed research

• ClinicalTrials.govwww.clinicaltrials.govDatabase of clinical trials, with information about their purpose, who may participate, locations and phone numbers for more details.

• European Clinical Trials Database (EudraCT)eudract.emea.europa.euEudraCT is a database of all clinical trials commencing in the Community from 1 May 2004 onwards. It has been established in accordance with Directive 2001/20/EC. This site allows the sponsor to: get a EudraCT number and complete, save as a .xml file on your computer and print a pdf version of the clinical trial application form.

• IFPMA Clinical Trials Portalwww.ifpma.org/clinicaltrialsThis service, provided by the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations, allows you to search for comprehensive information on ongoing clinical trials and results of completed trials conducted by the innovative pharmaceutical industry.

• National Research Register (NRR)www.nrr.nhs.ukDatabase of ongoing and recently completed research projects funded by, or of interest to, the NHS.

Is it research?

If it is research, do I need to submit to an NHS REC?

Ethical advice from the appropriate NHS REC is required for any research proposalinvolving:

• a. patients and users of the NHS. This includes all potential research participants recruited by virtue of the patient or user's past or present treatment by, or use of, the NHS. It includes NHS patients treated under contracts with private sector institutions

• b. individuals identified as potential research participants because of their status as relatives or carers of patients and users of the NHS, as defined above

• c. access to data, organs or other bodily material of past and present NHS patients

• d. fetal material and IVF involving NHS patients

• e. the recently dead in NHS premises

• f. the use of, or potential access to, NHS premises or facilities • g. NHS staff - recruited as research participants by virtue of their professional role."

REC Application formKey features of the REC application form

• Completion of the form sieve on page 1 customises the form according to type of research project, disabling questions and sections that are not relevant.

• Use the navigate facility to move around the form by question number and see which questions and sections are enabled or disabled.

• Consult question-specific guidance here or by clicking the button next to each question.

• The applicant's checklist is integrated

at print-out stage to list relevant enclosures with the application.

NRES REC application guidance

• Defining research• Explaining research• Guidance for applicants• Submission of CV• Research involving adults unable to consent for themselves• Medical devices• Research involving ionising radiation• Site specific assessment_________________________• Substantial amendments• Safety and progress reports

Where to apply

How to apply

Doing it

Research methods

QUALITATIVEQUALITATIVE QUANTITATIVEQUANTITATIVE

Phenomenological(‘lived experience’)

Grounded theory(set of procedures to

arrive at a theory)

Ethnographic(description of culturalGroups or subgroups)

Historical/documentary research( systematic data collection

to describe past event)

ExperimentalPre-experimentalTrue experimental

Quasi experimental

Retrospective(using available data)

Descriptive/Explanatory survey

(cross sectional or Longitudinal studies)

MMIIXXEEDD

MMEETTHHOODDSS

Sampling

NON PROBABILITYNON PROBABILITY(non-random methods)(non-random methods)

PROBABILITYPROBABILITY(random methods)(random methods)

Convenience sampling

Quota sampling

Purposive sampling(handpicked)

Systematic(every nth)

Simple random

Stratified random

Cluster

More More convenientconvenient

LaboriousLaborious

The use of protocol reduces the risk of misunderstandings, hence avoiding unhappy situations...

Getting published: Why and how

Getting published

Researchers have a responsibility to publish. These findings should be

disseminated, if appropriate, locally, regionally, nationally and

internationally.

Nurses working as researchers on multi-disciplinary research projects

should receive proper recognition and acknowledgement of their

contribution

RCN 1998

Where and how

Each journal will have available ‘instructions for authors’

Number of journals found

Nursing 82

Physiotherapy 34

Occupational therapy 29

Sources of support: RCN Research Society www.rcn.org.uk/researchanddevelopment

Aims to support for nurses who:

• identify and prioritise research

• disseminate research findings

• supervise research

• conduct research

• critically appraise research reports

• utilise research

RCN Research Society

Clinical focus or field of research

• Allied and complimentary medicine • Bereavement research • Cancer • Cardiovascular disease and stroke • Child Health • Consumer involvement • Doctoral nursing • Forensic nursing • History of nursing • Learning disabilities • Management • Mental health • Midwifery

• Nephrology • Neurological Conditions • Older people • Orthopaedics • Pain • Practice development • Primary care and public health • Prison health • Sexual health • Transcultural nursing

The future for nursing and AHP research

The future

• Nurses in clinical research

• Recommendations:– Capacity

– Capability

• 3 Main areas– Education and training

– Facilitating careers

– Better information

• AHP– Similarities with nurses

– Further work about the implementation of the recommendations to AHP.

Clinical Academic Careers for Nurses

Summary

Doing itGetting started Getting published

Sources of information

The future for nursing and AHP research

‘Every path has its puddle’

Never overestimate the help others can

give or underestimate the help they do give