Knowledge develops nursing care to the benefit of patients, citizens, professionals and community

Transcription

1 Knowledge develops nursing care to the benefit of patients, citizens, professionals and community Danish Nurses Organization Research Strategy 2011 Danish Nurses Organization

2 Front page: Elephant Landscape by Helle Malling Beck The elephant was chosen because of its characteristics: strength, wisdom, memory and spirit of community. These are some of the qualities of nursing research and what it should be noted for. Knowledge develops nursing care - to the benefit of patients, citizens, professionals and community. Danish Nurses Organization Research Strategy 2011 Published by the Danish Nurses Organization Layout: The Danish Nurses Organization Print: The Danish Nurses Organization Grafisk Enhed All rights reserved Photographic, mechanical or other form of reproduction or reproduction is authorized provided the source is acknowledged

3 Preface The Research Strategy of the Danish Nurses Organization 2011, Knowledge develops nursing care - to the benefit of patients, citizens, professionals and community is drawn from a desire to strengthen nursing research in Denmark. The background for the Research Strategy is a congressional resolution in 2010, when the congress of the Danish Nurses Organization decided to draw more political attention to the significance and conditions of nursing research. Previously, the Danish Nurses Organization had been part of the National Strategy for Nursing Research , which was a joint national approach across stakeholders within the research field, including universities, nursing schools, nursing directors etc. On the expiry of this strategy, the Danish Nurses Organization decided to prepare a more political strategy with focus on terms and conditions for nursing research. In the process, a number of stakeholders have been consulted in interviews, as sparring partners and/or participants in research seminars. The research initiative is based on the many inputs from universities, university colleges, regions and municipalities where the Danish Nurses Organization has been in dialogue with active researchers, executives, research managers, teachers, students, organizations, etc. The Danish Nurses Organization Research Strategy addresses researchers in the healthcare field, decision-makers and future researchers. It is our hope that the many actors will help put the recommendations of the Research Strategy into action. Dorte Steenberg Vice President 3

4 Reasons for nursing research Elderly and people with chronic diseases, new distribution of tasks between hospitals and municipalities, fast track treatment, building of new super hospitals etc. create new conditions that require new thinking in all areas of the healthcare sectors. Nursing care aims at all aspects of health and illness and addresses people and families in all phases of life. There are nurses in all branches of healthcare in hospitals, in municipalities, in general practice and in institutions. Nursing research provides knowledge necessary to develop new and better healthcare, and to develop knowledge about the social conditions related to health and disease. As part of the total research community in Denmark, nursing research is crucial for us to maintain and develop high quality of care and patient safety, and to sustain a healthcare system that compares internationally. The Danish Nurses Organization sees it as a central task to work for the framework and conditions that allow nursing researchers to make visible and create knowledge about current health issues and challenges produce high quality research foster collaboration across research communities nationally and internationally and strengthen cooperation between research institutions, clinical practice and educational institutions. The Danish Nurses Organization will assist the nursing profession to become acknowledged for providing evidence-based knowledge to benefit patients and society as a whole enhancing the quality of health care services strengthening interaction between research, education and practice. Nursing research in Denmark has developed significantly in recent years. Today, nursing research demonstrates an independent standing in the health science community where the various health pro- 4

5 fessional groups contribute to the overall health science research. Nursing research is vital for health science research. Nurse researchers collaborate with other health professions enabling the collective research effort to contribute to basic research as well as to applied research. The joint research effort will lead to more effective problem solving and enhance the potential for implementation of the research outcomes. 5

6 Diversity of research Nursing research covers a variety of research fields. It is central that the scope of nursing science includes healthy, sick and suffering people in all phases of life in and outside hospitals. Additionally, nursing research should cover the organizational, learning and technological aspects of nursing, and developments in health care will define new scopes for research that are not immediately evident today. Research in nursing takes place in academic as well as in multi-disciplinary environments and employs theory and methods from various scientific disciplines. The Danish Nurses Organization sees this diversity as a strength for nursing research and for the overall health science research in Denmark and internationally. The Danish Nurses Organization believes that nursing research should be carried by the following basic ideas: Nursing research is beneficial to patients, families and healthcare professionals and is socially relevant. Nursing research is exercised and based on strong research skills. Nursing research is innovative and of high quality. Nursing research is open to new ideas and challenges traditional contemporary perceptions and routines. Nursing research should be strengthened by close collaboration across research institutions, university colleges and practice. Nursing research takes place in strong research environments, if possible multi-disciplinary, and in contact with national and international research environments. Nursing research is a necessary part of the total field of health science research 6

7 Prioritize the terms and conditions for research In order to get nursing research to develop and grow in scope and quality, there should be frameworks and conditions for research and researchers that make it possible. This requires a combination of qualified researchers, funding, job structures, research networks and environments and interaction between research, education and practice. To ensure such a good framework and conditions for future research in nursing, the Danish Nurses Organization works for: Research within the entire healthcare system that universities, regions/hospitals, university colleges and municipalities establish cross-sectorial research collaborations on nursing and health professional issues. A framework for research that universities and university hospitals are attractive and strong research environments interacting with other disciplines and attracting international researchers. Research that there is a systematic development of attractive research environments. It involves relevant research networks, interaction with universities and university colleges, as well as excellent support capabilities and solid management support. Research environments must attract and retain talented researchers, including those from other countries. Recruitment of new researchers that there are job structures to make research careers attractive within the nursing profession. Firstly, it requires a coherent educational system and more graduates and nurses with doctorate degrees. Secondly, it presupposes university positions (assistant professor/postdoctoral research associate, senior lecturer, professor) with clinical research portfolios, and research positions in university hospitals with clinical foundation and university affiliation. Introduction to research during nursing education that nursing students contribute to the development of nursing 7

8 by engaging in research projects. It implies that students are able to understand and asses research as well as different types of research projects. Funding for research that there, at all levels, will be an increased financial commitment to nursing research issues. Research must be funded by regions, municipalities and research foundations, and research funds should be prioritized for research at universities as well as university colleges and clinical health care institutions. It is essential that nurses are represented in the Danish Council for Strategic Research, the Danish Council for Independent Research, and in national and local foundations, councils and committees. Dissemination of research findings that results and new knowledge from research projects are disseminated to national and international research environments, to clinical settings, educational environments, and to the political decision makers. This must be done in acknowledged journals, but also through the press, the internet and at national and international conferences in order to transform knowledge into practice. International research collaboration that collaboration between national and international nursing research communities continues to be strengthened. More research educated nurses that conditions are created for more nurses to obtain research education and subsequent opportunities to conduct research in the clinical field. Educational Structure that there is a coherent education system where the university colleges eventually become based on research rather than development, as is the case at the moment. Additionally, universities and university colleges should cooperate on flexible, transparent transitions between the respective educational systems. that there are incentives for collaboration between university colleges and universities, and that educational dead ends are prevented without weakening the educational level. 8

9 Areas in need of nursing research Research in nursing contributes with important and new knowledge in a variety of areas within health care. The list below is by no means exhaustive, but illustrates the diversity of research fields in need of further research. NURSING RESEARCH INTO DIFFERENT GROUPS OF PATIENTS / CITIZENS Rehabilitation research. Nursing research in Denmark has a strong position in areas such as cancer, cardiovascular and neuro rehabilitation, but there is a need for further research. Health promotion and prevention. In today s society with a growing number of chronically ill and an increase in lifestyle diseases, the need for health promotion and prevention is pressing. It is necessary to obtain knowledge about which interventions are effective when it comes to disease prevention. Children and young people. There is research going on about child and adolescent lifestyle and risk behaviour, but there is still a need to expand this kind of research. Children s healthcare. The preventive and health-promoting potential within children s health care is large, and there is a need for more research into this area to ensure public health. Patients of different ethnic origin and culture. In today s multicultural society there is a lack of knowledge about the specific health problems in families of different ethnic origins. Chronic patient pathways. The number of chronically ill patients is very large, and it continues to increase. There is a need of knowledge about self-help, empowerment and a better organization of health services offered to these patients. Mental health. There is a need for prevention of mental illness, violence, alcohol and drug abuse and stress. There is no researchbased knowledge about the need for support and help among the mentally ill and their relatives. 9

10 RESEARCH INTO METHODS AND PATIENT PATHWAYS Intervention research at patient level. The increasing demand for evidence in health care and treatment means that there is a need to develop and test new forms of initiatives in nursing care to patients and their relatives. Effect of methods and tools in nursing. The methods and tools used in nursing are to some extent based on years of experience and common sense, why there is a need for systematic studies of their clinical effect. Complex fast track patient pathways. Fast track pathways are a new treatment approach that shortens hospitalization and rehabilitation, and there is a need for research in the physical as well as the psychological consequences of the method. Patient education. Education of patients is a relatively new phenomenon, and there is a need for further research in teaching methods, organization and effectiveness. Nursing research on optimizing patient care. There is a need for research in patient pathways that safeguards the patient s pathway from diagnosis to completion of treatment and possible rehabilitation. Patient safety and nursing. There is a strong focus on patient safety in Denmark, but there is a lack of knowledge about the outcome of the effort and the learning that should be derived from it. RESEARCH IN HEALTH CARE ORGANIZATION New initiatives and types of cooperation in home nursing. There is no research on the consequences of the redistribution of tasks between hospitals, municipalities and general practice, and the significance of these changes of patient pathways, quality of life and forms of cooperation. Health service research. There is a need for more research into the organization of the entire healthcare system, and what the changes in the health care structures means to health and to the interaction between people s needs and the services of the healthcare sector. Management of nursing and healthcare. The changes in the healthcare sector create new demands for leadership and management and thus generate an increased need for research into how future healthcare and health professions should be managed. Implementation of new research knowledge. There is a need for more research into the use of research results and about ways to implement new knowledge in practice. 10

11 RESEARCH IN TECHNOLOGY IN NURSING AND IN HEALTH CARE Health technology studies. The technological development and opportunities create a need for research into what the internet and social media means for different groups of patients. e-health. Welfare and health technologies are relatively new phenomena, and research is needed into the development and the impact of technologies, including the patient s experience, change in the conditions for nursing, etc. RESEARCH IN PROFESSION AND PATIENT ROLES Patientology, the theory of patients. The changes in society and in healthcare increase the need for knowledge of the patient s world of life and reaction to acute, chronic and life-threatening illness. Diagnosis and classification studies. The rising number of chronically ill and an increased focus on diagnoses means that there is a need for research into what it means to have a (chronic) diagnosis. Profession and professional history. For years, the history of nursing has not been given priority, and there is a need for research that gives professionals the opportunity to learn about the theory of professions, of professional tradition, identity, and interdisciplinarity. 11

12 DANSK SYGEPLEJERÅD Sankt Annæ Plads 30 Postbox København K Tlf Fax dsr@dsr.dk Grafisk Enhed