Project Grant R13HS030192

SETTING A STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK TO MAXIMIZE THE IMPACT OF CLINICALLY BASED NURSE RESEARCHERS - PROJECT SUMMARY NURSES PLAY A VITAL ROLE IN OPTIMIZING SAFETY, QUALITY, ACCESSIBILITY, EQUITY, AND AFFORDABILITY ACROSS HEALTHCARE SETTINGS. THE NURSING PROFESSION HAS INVESTED IN EXPANDING CLINICAL AND COMPARATIVE EFFECTIVENESS RESEARCH TO EXPLORE BEST PRACTICES, AND TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH AND IMPLEMENTATION SCIENCE TO INTEGRATE EVIDENCE INTO PRACTICE. CLINICALLY BASED NURSE RESEARCHERS (CBNR) EMERGED AS PART OF THIS EFFORT WITH THE GOAL OF BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN NURSING RESEARCH AND NURSING PRACTICE. DISTINCT FROM NURSE RESEARCHERS WHO WORK IN TRADITIONAL ACADEMIC ROLES AND SPACES, CBNR ARE NURSE RESEARCHERS WHO HAVE PERMANENT POSITIONS WITHIN THE STRUCTURE OF CLINICAL PRACTICE SETTINGS, SUCH AS HOSPITALS AND HEALTH SYSTEMS. CBNR ARE UNIQUELY AND INTENTIONALLY POSITIONED TO CONDUCT RESEARCH THAT IS TIMELY AND RESPONSIVE TO EMERGING NEEDS, AND TO EXPEDITE THE INTEGRATION OF FINDINGS INTO PRACTICE. HOWEVER, MULTIPLE BARRIERS LIMIT THE SCALE, SCOPE, SPEED, AND RIGOR OF THIS CRITICALLY NEEDED WORK. CURRENTLY, THERE ARE NO DEDICATED PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS OR SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS TO CONNECT THE GROWING NUMBER OF CBNR ACROSS THE COUNTRY. THUS, THERE ARE FEW OPPORTUNITIES TO COLLECTIVELY EXAMINE AND STRATEGICALLY ADDRESS SHARED CHALLENGES, IDENTIFY COMMON RESEARCH PRIORITIES, OR FORGE TACTICAL PARTNERSHIPS TO FACILITATE RIGOROUS LARGE-SCALE MULTISITE RESEARCH. THIS TWO-DAY RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE, SCHEDULED TENTATIVELY FOR JUNE 5-6, 2025, WILL ADDRESS THE LONG-TERM GOAL OF ACCELERATING THE SCALE, SCOPE, SPEED, AND RIGOR OF RESEARCH TO OPTIMIZE PATIENT OUTCOMES THROUGH NURSING CARE. THE CONFERENCE WILL UNITE CBNR AND OTHER KEY STAKEHOLDERS, INCLUDING EXECUTIVE HOSPITAL LEADERS, INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH COLLABORATORS, AND ACADEMIC PARTNERS FROM ACROSS THE UNITED STATES TO ACCOMPLISH THE FOLLOWING SPECIFIC AIMS: (1) IDENTIFY BARRIERS, POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS, AND FACILITATORS TO CONDUCTING LARGE-SCALE, COMPREHENSIVE, TIMELY, AND RIGOROUS RESEARCH IN CBNR ROLES TO OPTIMIZE PATIENT OUTCOMES THROUGH NURSING CARE. (2) DEVELOP A STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK TO GUIDE CBNR IN GENERATING AND TRANSLATING EVIDENCE TO IMPROVE SAFETY, QUALITY, ACCESSIBILITY, EQUITY, AND AFFORDABILITY OF CARE THROUGH NURSING PRACTICE. (3) ESTABLISH AND SUSTAIN A NATIONAL CONSORTIUM OF CBNR TO FACILITATE DISSEMINATION, IMPLEMENTATION, AND EVALUATION OF THE STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK. A CONFERENCE PLANNING COMMITTEE CONSISTING OF SIX CBNR AND ONE EXECUTIVE NURSE LEADER WILL OFFER DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES, EXPERIENCES, METHODOLOGICAL EXPERTISE, PROGRAMS OF RESEARCH, AND PROFESSIONAL NETWORKS TO SUPPORT THE CONFERENCE AIMS. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME OF THE CONFERENCE WILL BE A FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK OUTLINING THE MISSION, VISION, GOALS, STRATEGIC PRIORITIES, AND CROSS-CUTTING STRATEGIES FOR CBNR.