Research capacity and output in paediatric nursing

Abstract

There is general agreement that nursing-led research is under-resourced with respect to funding for academic preparation and for the conduct of clinical research. All of the previous literature, however, focuses on the nursing profession as a whole and provides little insight into the capacity and resource issues for specialty practice areas such as children's nursing. This paper provides an overview of the state of paediatric nurse-led research capability, capacity and output within the limitations of the available data. The findings reveal that paediatric nursing in the UK currently has very limited capacity to conduct and utilise research in the care of children and is in a weak position to create a future workforce that has this capacity. Nurse-led research on children's health issues is urgently needed if the UK paediatric nursing workforce is to deliver the standard of care specified in the Children's National Service Framework. However, strategies for accelerating the development of research capacity and output within paediatric nursing all require targeted financial investment to build capacity. This analysis is illustrative of the need for a more detailed investigation of nursing research capacity by specialty. Key messages and action points are suggested for nurses in higher education, professional nursing organizations, doctorally prepared nurses and their employers.