New e-learning modules have been launched to address underrepresentation of nurses and midwives being involved in research development opportunities.
The six new modules, co-developed by King's colleagues in the Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Palliative Care and King's Online and the Royal College of Nursing, were awarded competitive funding by National Institute for Health and Care Research.
Nurses and midwives are the largest professional group within the healthcare workforce with 765,051 registered nurses, 44,125 registered midwives and 6,361 dual registrants of the Nursing and Midwifery Council register.
The modules emphasise the multi-disciplinary nature of clinical research and the vital contribution that nurses and midwives bring to this space. The modules can be accessed via NIHR Learn. Once logged in you can find the courses via the Research Workforce Training tab and then Royal Colleges Learning Programmes.
Colleagues have developed a programme of six modules, topics of which include 'Getting involved in clinical research', 'Demystifying approaches to quality improvement and service evaluation' and 'Good governance and ethical considerations in clinical research'.
While some research training is included in all undergraduate nursing and midwifery programmes in the UK, there is variation in what is covered, with students keen to learn more. Research taught in university settings tends to be academic in nature, with a focus on research methods and methodologies, rather than the practical application of research in the clinical setting.
After graduation and registration, the majority of nurses and midwives embark on fully clinical roles with no time capacity and few opportunities for becoming involved in clinical research. As a result, research is frequently seen as having low priority and relevance for day-to-day care delivery; a peripheral activity for a few rather than everyone's business.
The focus of these e-learning modules is to give a comprehensive overview of the importance of research activity to care delivery, enthuse nurses and midwives about the possibilities of being involved in research and enable them to see where and how nurses and midwives can contribute to designing and delivering research for patient benefit.
Professor Ruth Harris, Professor of Healthcare for Older Adults at the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Palliative Care, King's College London, oversaw the bid as the Chair of the Royal College of Nursing Research Forum.
t's been a real privilege for us at King's College London to develop these e-learning resources for nurses and midwives in partnership with the Royal College of Nursing and the NIHR. In these modules, we have sought not only to inspire nurses and midwives to see the importance of the role they can have in research and the various opportunities to become more involved if they wish, but also to give them the confidence that they can do this brilliantly and make a big difference to patient care.
Professor Ruth Harris, Professor of Healthcare for Older Adults
High-quality research is vital for us to be able to influence and inform education, policy, and clinical practice. This fantastic suite of resources has been designed to inspire the nursing workforce to engage in the design and delivery of research at different stages of their careers.
Professor Jane Ball, Director of the Royal College of Nursing's Institute of Excellence
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Professor of Healthcare for Older Adults
