The workforce delivering translational and applied health research: A cross sectional survey of their characteristics, studies and responsibilities

Abstract

Background: Translational and applied health research, and the workforce needed to deliver it, have grown substantially in the last 10 years and this growth is likely to continue. However, there are few good empirical studies of the workforce and only limited evidence on which to base future policy and practice. Aim: To provide a better understanding of the workforce that delivers translational and applied health research by exploring who delivers studies, what types of studies are delivered and what delivering them entails and whether this varies across employment contexts. Methods: A link to an on-line questionnaire was sent to 280 non-medical researchers in England funded by National Institute for Health Research to deliver translational and applied health research; 168 (60%) responded. Responses were analysed quantitatively. Findings: Participants were from 11 occupational groups, with nurses (77%) the most common. Most (82%) had worked on clinical trials and almost as many (73%) on observational studies. A fifth had conducted studies outside hospital settings. Participants recruited from Community sites more often reported taking a medical history (p=0.022) and carrying out initial assessments (p=0.028) and less often reported managing other staff (p=0.036). Those recruited through the University Hospital more often reported contributing 2 to development of new studies (p=.000); to research governance (p =0.001) and protocols (p=0.000); and to writing publications (p=0.005). Discussion: There is greater diversity in the workforce than previously identified, more variation in types of studies delivered and a wider range of settings. Responsibilities vary across employment contexts. Conclusions: This diversity needs to be acknowledged in educational, training and career planning to sustain capacity for delivering translational and applied health research in the future.

Factors affecting recruitment and retention of nurses who deliver clinical research: A qualitative study

“…Completed questionnaires were received from 168 of the 280 individuals invited to take part in the wider study (Boulton & Hopewell, ), a response rate of 60%. Of these, 121 (72%) described themselves as nurses and constitute the questionnaire sample for this paper.…”

“…A qualitative exploratory design was adopted, drawing on qualitative elements of a larger mixed methods study which included other healthcare professionals (Boulton & Hopewell, ). The underpinning conceptual framework (Larson et al., ) sees recruitment and retention as dynamic social processes experienced by an individual in a wider social context.…”

“…Sampling and recruitment strategies are described fully in a previous publication (Boulton & Hopewell, ). Recruitment was through five NHS Hospital Trusts (including one University Hospital), two NHS Community Trusts and an NIHR Primary Care Partnership (11 GP practices) spread across three counties.…”

“…In the context of a global shortage of nurses (Imison, ; Price, ; Rodrigo, ), however, recruiting and retaining nurses in research posts have become more difficult (Badger, Daly, & Clifford, ). Although clinical research posts are increasingly filled by those from other backgrounds (Boulton & Hopewell, ; Spilsbury et al., ), the importance of patient care and safety in the conduct of clinical research means that experienced nurses have remained in great demand. The continued growth of translational and applied health research, in the United Kingdom and internationally (Bell, ; Rickard & Roberts, ; Wilkes, Jackson, Miranda, & Watson, ), means this demand is likely to continue.…”

Boundary spanning and identity work in the clinical research delivery workforce: a qualitative study of research nurses, midwives and allied health professionals in the National Health Service, United Kingdom

“…There is a growing literature on the clinical research delivery workforce in the United Kingdom, with the majority focused on nurses (e.g. [ 3 , 4 , 28 , 30 ]. Research midwives are sometimes grouped alongside research nurses, whilst there has been relatively little published literature specifically on the experiences of research AHPs.…”