A research project, hosted by Solent University, is asking respiratory nurses to keep a personal log of their experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic, as part of a nurse-led research project to capture the nursing voice and disseminate adaptions and professional learning.
“The nursing voice is often absent in pandemic crisis situation, yet nurses, particularly respiratory nurses often are working to adapt, teach and support teams across all care settings,” says the project’s principal investigator, Lindsay Welch. “As researchers, we are keen to learn from our experiences and share best practice, within both the respiratory nursing community and across the nursing profession.’’
Respiratory nurses in clinical practice are being asked to keep a private account of their care experiences and approaches – by means of a reflective journal, blog or diary events – for as long as they are able.The team stress that it doesn’t matter how much data is recorded, as long as both good and bad experiences are captured. “Keeping a reflective account may also help to process experiences and can hopefully be used towards revalidation at a later stage,” says Lindsay.
The five-strong nurse research team are members of the Association of Respiratory Nurse Specialists (ARNS), which is supporting the project. The other nurse researchers on the team are Emma Ray, a respiratory nurse specialist working in primary care in Hampshire, Dr Carol Kelly, reader in respiratory care at Edge Hill University, Dr Kate Lippiett, research fellow at the University of Southampton and Dr Nicola Roberts, senior lecturer at Glasgow Caledonian University. Emma, Carol, Kate and Lindsay are all respiratory nurses returning to clinical practice for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lindsay Welch, a senior lecturer in adult nursing at Solent University, will herself be keeping a journal, having volunteered to return to a previous nursing leadership role during the pandemic. The respiratory nurse specialist is currently working with Solent NHS Trust to support community hospitals to take COVID positive patients.
