Health visiting research: Overcoming barriers

Research is often perceived as something that is carried out by scientists in labs or by academics in clinical trial units, and not something that many health visitors in practice can relate to. The recent national drive to move the nursing research agenda forward may seem daunting to many health visitors, resulting in them disengaging. This article highlights why it is important for health visitors to engage with research and how research aligns with health visiting practice. It explores the common barriers to engagement at every level using the socio–ecological model and discusses the ways in which health visitors can contribute to the national agenda. It is hoped that demystifying some of the research roles will make research more accessible to health visitors in their daily practice.