Developing Nursing and Midwifery Research Priorities: A health Service Executive (HSE) North West Study.

Aim: The primary purpose of this study was to identify research priorities for nurses and midwivesacross the Health Service Executive (HSE) North West region. The rationale for the study wasunderlined during meetings of HSE North West Directors of Nursing and Midwifery in January2011. It was agreed that a more strategic approach to generating synergy among nursing andmidwifery research, evaluation, and evidence-based practice should be developed through theNursing and Midwifery Planning and Development Unit.Methods: The research design was founded upon collaborative processes for consensus buildingthat included the Delphi technique and nominal group technique. The study sample included apanel of experts. Data were collected between March 2011 and December 2011.Findings: Findings from this study validate the efficacy of the research methodology in enablingthe effective identification of priority areas for research. These include: (a) an evaluation ofthe impact of postgraduate nursing and midwifery education programs focusing upon patient,professional, and organizational outcomes; (b) development and evaluation of an effective cultureof nurse- and midwife-led audit across all services within a Regional Health Trust in Ireland; (c)an examination of the efficacy of approaches to clinical supervision within the context of the Irishhealth system; (d) an evaluation of the impact of an Advanced Nurse Practitioner role in supportingthe effective management of long-term conditions within the context of Regional Health Trustprimary care settings in Ireland; and (e) Supporting and developing an ethical framework fornursing and midwifery research within a Regional Health Trust in Ireland.Linking Evidence to Action: It is anticipated that future work, outlined within this paper, willlead to important improvements in patient care and outcomes. Furthermore, this study providesevidence that a strong nursing and midwifery research agenda can be established upon genuinecollaborations and partnerships across varying levels of research knowledge and skills, but witha shared purpose and shared values.