Facilitation of Child Health Research in hospital settings; The views of nurses

Background: Child health research in clinical practice is increasing throughout the UK. Nurses and midwives facilitate access to patients, enact research study protocols and have a critical role in parental decisions to enrol children into research studies. Little is known about their perception of this process. Aims & Objectives: To explore the views of nurses towards child health research and to identify factors influencing their willingness to facilitate it in practice. Design: This study was a descriptive study design. Methods: A newly designed questionnaire was completed in 2013 by 105 nurses in 3 neonatal and 2 children’s units in 2 discrete acute hospital sites. Results: Overwhelming support for clinical research was reported. Participants were motivated to facilitate research in order to improve patient care and contribute to the evidence base; but discouraged by external organisational factors and ethical concerns. Training, education and a dedicated team to support research were considered important. Misconceptions regarding consent and the allocation of treatment were reported. Participants raised particular concerns about trials of Investigational Medicinal Product (IMP). Conclusion: Negative views of nurses towards research, combined with a lack of knowledge of research processes, governance and ethics have the potential to threaten the success of clinical research studies. Recommendations for clinical practice focus on three main areas; staff education, improved communication and the demonstration of managerial commitment to clinical research.