Why don't haemophilia nurses do research?

Clinical research should form a core component of the role of haemophilia nurse specialists. The UK Haemophilia Nurses Association sought to determine the barriers that prevent nurse specialists from engaging in research and to seek ways to promote clinical research by haemophilia nurses in the UK. Web-based survey with subsequent workshop discussion was conducted. Responses were received from 32 nurses (a 50% response rate), all of whom agreed that haemophilia nurses should be actively involved in nursing research although only 21 had actually participated in research specifically related to haemophilia practice. Of these, most research had been related to educational programmes or (less commonly) was limited to data collection as part of multidisciplinary studies. Involvement in research rarely resulted in publication. Some barriers to involvement in nursing research and subsequent publication were suggested by survey respondents. They also identified key practice areas that warranted nurse-based research including carriership and antenatal decision-making, along with the role and impact on care of the specialist haemophilia nurse, education and empowerment. To overcome the barriers to engaging in research and publishing, nurses require dedicated research time, mentorship and collaboration with more experienced haemophilia nurse researchers.