Nursing Research Challenge Management Innovation Project for the Promotion of Research in Care in Healthcare Organizations

¹Bizkaia Health Research Institute, Osakidetza, Bilbao Basurto Integrated Health Organization, University of the Basque Country, Academy of Nursing Sciences of Bizkaia, Bilbao, Spain

²Bioaraba Health Research Institute, General Head Office of Osakidetza, Basque Health Service, Subdirection of Nursing, Vitoria, Spain. Academy of Nursing Sciences of Bizkaia, Bilbao, Spain

³General Head Office of Osakidetza, Basque Health Service, Subdirection of Nursing, Vitoria, Spain. Academy of Nursing Sciences of Bizkaia, Bilbao, Spain

⁴Osakidetza, Bilbao Basurto Integrated Health Organization, Spain

*Corresponding Author: Tíscar-González V, Bizkaia Health Research Institute, Osakidetza, Bilbao Basurto Integrated Health Organization, University of the Basque Country, Academy of Nursing Sciences of Bizkaia, Bilbao, Spain; Email: [email protected] 

Received Date: October 16, 2023

Published Date: November 28, 2023

Citation: Tíscar-González V, et al. (2023). Nursing Research Challenge Management Innovation Project for the Promotion of Research in Care in Healthcare Organizations. Mathews J Nurs. 5(5):27.

Copyrights: Tíscar-González V, et al. © (2023).

INTRODUCTION

In recent decades nursing research has evolved exponentially [1]. Different international organisations [2-4] promote research role of the care profession and there is strong evidence of the impact that care research has on the health and quality of life of the population. The International Council of Nurses considers it necessary to generate new knowledge to promote its involvement in health policies [4]. In Spain, Royal Decree 56/2005 of 21 January 2005 contributed to the creation of the European Higher Education and Research Area, with the regulation of official university postgraduate studies, which facilitated access to bachelor's, master's and doctoral studies [5].

This was a turning point in the academic and research development of the nursing profesión [5]. However, the development of the profession's scientific activity in recent years has been uneven in the different autonomous communities, with a certain variability, as shown in the study carried out by Morales-Asencio [6]. Studies such as the one developed by Santana [7] show that there is still a lot of room for improvement. ² In the Basque Country, the results of an observational study in 2014, in which a total of 1,108 nurses from the Basque Public Health Service (Osakidetza) participated, showed that 47.3% (524) of the professionals perceived that more than 60% of their clinical practice was evidence-based. However, 63.2% (700) reported not having participated in any activity related to research or Evidence Based Practice (EBP) and 64.3% (712) identified a situation where they would have needed an evidence-based response [8].

For all these reasons, it is necessary to analyse nursing research in our social and healthcare context in order to establish actions aimed at promoting and improving it.

This project consists of several phases which are described as follows:

First phase: Firstly, a SWOT analysis was carried out to explore the elements of the internal and external context that influence the development and progress of nursing research in the Basque Country according to the opinions of Basque nurse researchers. The panel of experts was made up of 16 nurses from the three provinces of the Basque Country. For this purpose, an ad hoc questionnaire was designed with open questions to find out the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats related to nursing research. The data were collected in February 2021 through a Google Form questionnaire. Four categories emerged from the thematic analysis for each of the items of the SWOT analysis: i) Development in the academic field, ii) Development at the institutional level (Health Organisations of the Basque Public Health System, Osakidetza), iii) Development at the level of Health Research Institutes and iv) Intrinsic aspects of the nursing profession. In the light of the data produced by this study, it is considered necessary to establish a nursing research strategy in the Basque Country which, in coordination with all the agents involved, the University (UPV/EHU), the Research Institutes and the Health Organisations, promotes scientific development in a homogeneous and stable manner over time.

Second Phase: Proposal for a strategy to promote nursing research in the Basque Country: The white book on nursing research in the Basque Country. Following the analysis of the initial situation and once the areas for improvement had been detected, the strategy for nursing research in the Basque Country was developed and set out in "The white book on nursing research in the Basque Country: The white book on nursing research in the Basque Country. Available in: https://www.bioaraba.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Libro-Blanco-deInvestigacio%CC%81n-Enfermeri%CC%81a-Digital.pdf

It consists of a common reflection of professional nursing researchers, with extensive experience and academic training, from different fields with a common concern: to improve and promote the development of nursing research in the Basque Country so that it will ultimately result in better health for citizens and a greater capacity to make nursing more visible to society as a scientific profession. The common objective of this project was, therefore, to propose, from the knowledge of the different areas (healthcare, management, academic, health research institutes.) and our own experience, areas for improvement and feasible proposals that could contribute to the advancement of nursing research in our socio-health and academic context.

Third Phase: Management innovation project: Nursing Research Challenge. The "Nursing Research Challenge" management innovation project proposes an implementation strategy for managers of Health Organisations (it focuses on this area, which is where most nurses work), of the areas for improvement and actions aimed at promoting nursing research included in the White Paper on Nursing Research in the Basque Country. In this way, it establishes a know-how that can be extrapolated to other contexts and autonomous communities in our country, and to all healthcare organisations that are committed to promoting nursing research. The advancement of research requires the joint effort of managers, researchers and different organisations and/or institutions. This project is aimed at managers, providing them with a useful resource for the development of guidelines, procedures and strategies to promote nursing research in the clinical setting, as well as a set of indicators for its evaluation. The Nursing Research Challenge project has been the result and evolution of all the phases described so far.

The main objective of this project is to promote nursing research in the Basque Country through a strategy that helps health organisations to establish actions that encourage the detection of talent, training in research, the dissemination of knowledge, the promotion of nursing research within multidisciplinary and multicentre teams, the allocation of resources to promote research and the transfer of results incorporating the patient's perspective [9]. The annex 1 contains all the recommendations for each strategic axis and the corresponding process and result indicators.

Outcomes

The main result is the development of a clear and defined strategy for the promotion of nursing research in the Basque Country, the results of which can be extrapolated to other organisations at a national level. It not only allows talent to be detected, but also promotes its development by facilitating the development of scientific careers within healthcare organisations. This will also make the organisation more attractive for attracting and retaining talent (e.g. for specialties via EIR). It also has the support of all the organisations and scientific bodies in the nursing discipline in the Basque Country: Biocruces Bizkaia, Bioaraba and Biodonostia Health Research Institutes; UPV/EHU in the three territories, nursing associations in the three territories and the Academy of Nursing Sciences of Bizkaia (ACEB). The results of this management innovation project need several years to be able to show result indicators, but different actions have already been developed within the different organisations and process indicators are available: such as the creation of a "map" of nurses with advanced training in research, having a research communication strategy, incorporating new nurses into research projects and developing research skills with "mentoring" type strategies or incorporating the patient's perspective. As expected results, it is considered that the promotion of nursing research within healthcare organisations will have a positive impact on the quality of care and clinical safety in the healthcare offered to citizens, seeking the development of more efficient care [10,11].

Although it will take several years to obtain more ambitious results (e.g. increasing the number of nurse doctors, increasing the number of nurse-led projects with competitive funding...), some results have been obtained that can be considered very encouraging. In the open call in Osakidetza in February 2022, 11 healthcare organisations made a declaration of interest in participating in the Nursing Research Challenge project, with 10 healthcare organisations finally being admitted and presenting the NRC project report adapted to the reality and idiosyncrasies of their organisation. In addition, a license for use has been signed with the National Association of Nursing Executives (ANDE) and the project has been extended in Spain in 2023. In the first call, 52 healthcare organizations from all over the country applied, and 15 were included after an exhaustive evaluation of the projects by an expert evaluation committee. The international extension of the project is currently being planned.

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