Multisite clinical research: a challenge for nursing leaders

Area of Science:

• Healthcare research
• Nursing science
• Clinical investigation

Background:

• Increasing need for research-based data in diverse healthcare systems.
• Nurse executives require data to justify resource allocation and compare practices.
• Geographically distant and complex healthcare systems present unique challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe challenges and advancements in a multisite, multimethod clinical investigation.
• To collect clinical outcome and organizational context data from multiple hospitals.
• To inform the application of research data in diversified healthcare settings.

Main Methods:

• A 4-year multisite, multimethod clinical investigation.
• Data collection included clinical outcomes and organizational context.
• Involved seven geographically distant hospitals.

Main Results:

• Identified specific pitfalls encountered during the research process.
• Documented progress made in data collection and analysis.
• Successfully gathered diverse data from multiple clinical sites.

Conclusions:

• Multisite research in healthcare is feasible but complex.
• Careful planning is essential to overcome logistical and methodological hurdles.
• Findings contribute to understanding data application in varied healthcare environments.