Developing nursing and midwifery research priorities: a Health Service Executive (HSE) North West study.
OBJECTIVE
The primary purpose of this study was to identify research priorities for nurses and midwives across the Health Service Executive (HSE) North West region. The rationale for the study was underlined during meetings of HSE North West Directors of Nursing and Midwifery in January 2011. It was agreed that a more strategic approach to generating synergy among nursing and midwifery research, evaluation, and evidence-based practice should be developed through the Nursing and Midwifery Planning and Development Unit.


METHODS
The research design was founded upon collaborative processes for consensus building that included the Delphi technique and nominal group technique. The study sample included a panel of experts. Data were collected between March 2011 and December 2011.


RESULTS
Findings from this study validate the efficacy of the research methodology in enabling the effective identification of priority areas for research. These include: (a) an evaluation of the impact of postgraduate nursing and midwifery education programs focusing upon patient, professional, and organizational outcomes; (b) development and evaluation of an effective culture of nurse- and midwife-led audit across all services within a Regional Health Trust in Ireland; (c) an examination of the efficacy of approaches to clinical supervision within the context of the Irish health system; (d) an evaluation of the impact of an Advanced Nurse Practitioner role in supporting the effective management of long-term conditions within the context of Regional Health Trust primary care settings in Ireland; and (e) Supporting and developing an ethical framework for nursing and midwifery research within a Regional Health Trust in Ireland.


CONCLUSIONS
It is anticipated that future work, outlined within this paper, will lead to important improvements in patient care and outcomes. Furthermore, this study provides evidence that a strong nursing and midwifery research agenda can be established upon genuine collaborations and partnerships across varying levels of research knowledge and skills, but with a shared purpose and shared values.
Assistant Director, Nursing and Midwifery Planning and Development, Health Service Executive, Ballyshannon, Ireland; Honorary Fellow, University of Ulster, Derry, Northern Ireland.
Randal
R
Parlour
Paul
P
Slater
D032921:Consensus; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends; D003697:Delphi Technique; D055317:Evidence-Based Practice / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D007494:Ireland; D008880:Midwifery / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends*; D015399:Nursing Research / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends*; D015279:Organizational Culture; D012106:Research / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends*; D013222:State Medicine / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends
Delphi technique; nursing/midwifery practice; research methods; research utilization; survey methodology/data collection