Developing a research program in nursing that meet the needs in clinical practice and the requirement for sufficient quality of research

Introduction<br/>In 2023 we established MCPR nursing research program (Medical Care and Professional Recruitment). The purpose was to improve the quality of nursing in practice for the benefit of patients and relatives and to make the department more attractive to recruit and retain nurses. A knowledge boost was necessary to facilitate this development. The assumption was that this contribution to nursing knowledge with sufficient quality of research on a national and international level, could lead to improve basic nursing and attractiveness.<br/>Method <br/>A research manager in nursing was hired to develop the research program. The position was developed with university affiliation. The organization was inspired of the starfish model from the literature of management. All projects related to the framework of Fundamentals of Care which forms the basis of the department’s nursing strategy. We used a constructivist approach to meet the professional teams consisting of clinical specialists and head nurses in the department’s six units. Each unit contributed to develop ideas for a study of a problem or area for improvement. Subsequently the ideas with a research potential were qualified by the clinical specialist under supervision of the research manager. Four of the specialists are currently PI of their own project. As supporting measures was established; a course of research competence development, a steering committee with head-nurses and clinical specialists, an inter-professional dialogue forum, and a plan for systematic evaluation of the program.<br/>Results <br/>We have established a research program framed by FoC with currently seven projects in operation, one of which is a PhD project. We are about to publish scientific papers from four of the projects and dissemination of the project results has moved from local to both national and international presentations.<br/>Conclusion <br/>Practice-driven research in nursing contributes to better nursing care targeted to patients needs and supports more attractive knowledge-based workplaces for nurses.<br/>