Nursing research and responsible partnership in the global setting

Area of Science:

• Nursing Research
• Global Health
• Health Equity

Background:

• Increased global funding for research necessitates understanding ethical and effective practices in low-resource settings.
• High-resource nurses conducting research abroad face unique responsibilities and collaboration dynamics.
• The role of local partners in research development and implementation is critical for contextual relevance and sustainability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the extent of local partner involvement in nursing research conducted in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
• To analyze the stated roles of local collaborators in the conception, design, and dissemination of research.
• To highlight the importance of acknowledging local partners in global health research initiatives.

Main Methods:

• A literature review of nursing research with primary investigators from U.S. universities and data collection in LMICs.
• Inclusion criteria focused on nurse authorship, LMIC data collection, and publication dates between 2013-2019.
• Analysis examined the presence of local authors and their specific contributions to the research process.

Main Results:

• Out of 107 reviewed articles, 79% included local authors and 84% reported local ethical approval.
• The specific roles of local authors were not stated in 53% of publications.
• When roles were stated, local authors were most frequently involved in data collection/analysis (40%) and study conception (27%).

Conclusions:

• A significant gap exists in acknowledging the full contributions of local partners in published nursing research.
• Involvement of local partners, particularly in the early stages of study conception, is essential for impactful research.
• Clearer reporting and recognition of local collaborators' roles are needed to foster equitable global health research partnerships.