Contribution of nurse leaders to rural and remote health research in Australia: A non-systematic scoping review

An underutilised resource: The evolving role of clinical nurses contributing to rural health research

“…16 Strong nurse led clinical leadership in rural health settings has an essential role in addressing the health disparities in rural areas. 17 Nursing leadership which recognises the individual needs and aspirations of staff and advocates and empowers staff development, leads to improved clinical governance, produces safe and high quality health care and improved workplace satisfaction. 12,16,17 Developing the research capability of clinical nurse leaders in rural health services offers the opportunity to enhance development and evaluation of innovative nurse led models of care which meet and promote local access to alternative models of health care delivery.…”

“…17,24 Specifically within the RHMT framework is the requirement to maintain and progress an evidence base and the rural health agenda. 11,14,17 This parameter includes aspects such as rural health workforce development, rural training strategies, supporting rural research opportunities for students, graduate outcome tracking and innovative rural service delivery to meet community needs. 11,17,24 While the RHMT and its predecessors date back to the late 1990s, 25 there are contemporary tailwinds in the form of certain Medical Research Future Fund that will assist nurse-led research over time.…”

“…11,14,17 This parameter includes aspects such as rural health workforce development, rural training strategies, supporting rural research opportunities for students, graduate outcome tracking and innovative rural service delivery to meet community needs. 11,17,24 While the RHMT and its predecessors date back to the late 1990s, 25 there are contemporary tailwinds in the form of certain Medical Research Future Fund that will assist nurse-led research over time. These calls have guidelines around Chief Investigator eligibility including requirements for registered clinicians who need to have lived in a rural setting for a set period prior to submission.…”

“…17 Nursing leadership which recognises the individual needs and aspirations of staff and advocates and empowers staff development, leads to improved clinical governance, produces safe and high quality health care and improved workplace satisfaction. 12,16,17 Developing the research capability of clinical nurse leaders in rural health services offers the opportunity to enhance development and evaluation of innovative nurse led models of care which meet and promote local access to alternative models of health care delivery. 17 As health service pressures grow with increased patient demand and acuity, along with an ageing population, barriers to nursing engagement in research and implementation of evidence based practice at the bedside grows and the gap between research findings and clinical practice widens.…”

“…In the clinical environment, Research Nurses and Clinical Trials Nurses are often involved in the delivery of large trials and assist with: protocol development, ethics approval, participant recruitment and consent, treatment delivery, data collection and trial evaluation 20 . Identification of poor practice, translational research activity and implementation of improvement processes and evidence‐based practice could be applied to rural health services through managerial support of provision of time for nursing education, and research engagement 17,19 . Evidence supports that nurses’ professional satisfaction and retention is highly influenced by career opportunity, professional development and upskilling 12,13 .…”