Research and its relationship to nurse education: focus and capacity

Nursing, midwifery and health visiting together form the largest professional workforce within the NHS, and the clinical activities of nurses and the outcomes of these interventions are, therefore, of critical importance to patients. In consequence, adequate preparation for practice should include evidence-based nursing interventions, education to evaluate such evidence, understanding of research methodology and exposure to educators who are engaged in clinical research and can thus act as appropriate models for learners who may aspire to clinical research careers in the future. More broadly, the achievement of these goals requires a continuing strategy to develop capacity for the understanding, undertaking, dissemination and utilisation of research within the profession. This paper argues that nursing is currently in a weak position with regard to creating a future workforce which will have this capacity. Examination of two mental health journals illustrates the lack of focus on clinical research within the profession, whilst a key Government document setting out the future of nursing contains little reference to the role of R&D either in clinical practice or the preparation of the workforce. A recent publication setting out a potential strategy for research in nursing contains considerable hope for the future, but the profession will wish to remain watchful to ensure that the document is translated into action to facilitate a future for clinical nursing research appropriate to the needs of patients.