Developing a service-user framework to shape priorities for nursing and midwifery research

Abstract

Many people believe, and government policy recommends, that service users should be involved more in research agenda setting. This paper helps to provide a way of undertaking this, drawing on the approach used in a national research priority setting exercise for nursing and midwifery service delivery and organisation. A framework of service-user expectations for nursing and midwifery services was developed through a process of focus group discussions. Thirty-two participants were recruited from Community Health Councils (CHCs) because of their formal role in linking to health providers and as advocates of local communities. Discussions focused on the main gaps in nursing and midwifery services, priority areas for improvement and ways of involving service users in these developments. Nine broad expectations for nursing and midwifery services were identified and were used as a framework for the alignment of professional stakeholder data and literature and policy analysis. This enabled five priority areas for research to be identified that were important to all of these groups. Targeted sampling, information giving prior to the focus groups, careful explanation of confidentiality and the purpose of the exercise and facilitation skills were important for developing a framework that covered the wide breadth of the topic area. The process also raised important questions for nursing and midwifery research. Conceptual difficulties about balancing service-user control and researcher influence, and the authenticity of the data in representing diversity, were limitations of the approach. A final report is available at www.sdo.lshtm.ac.uk/nursingandmidwifery.