University/Hospital Collaborations to Promote Research and Evidence Based Practice in Clinical Environments

Systems and processes to provide clinical education to students of nursing have been established between universities and health facilities in all countries where nurse education is tertiary based. However, systems and processes to link nurse researchers based in universities to their clinical colleagues are less well developed. When collaborations are established they are frequently based on personal networks, and while the rhetoric of the organizations encourages these collaborations, they are largely unrecognised by senior administrators in health facilities. The research is frequently "invisible" and the clinician researchers usually do not have access to appropriate infrastructure and other resources that are required to support large projects that have the potential to change practice across organisations. This situation influences the focus and scope of nursing research and limits opportunities for clinicians to be engaged in the generation of professional knowledge. The University of Western Sydney (UWS) has taken a strategic approach to the development of collaborations for research and has linked with health services in Western Sydney to establish and maintain research centres and adjunct appointments. The partner organisations jointly fund the infrastructure of the centres which include a Professor, research assistant position(s) and administrative staff. Five Professors of Nursing have been appointed to positions in one of three nursing research centres. This paper describes the approach established by the School of Nursing at UWS to build collaborations with clinical areas to promote research. This approach could be adopted or adapted by other facilities.