Advanced-practice nurses: approaches to collaborative research.

The collaborative approach to research can prove effective for the advanced-practice nurse (APN). While there are a number of ways to deal with research collaboration, this article discusses the hierarchial, consultative, and council/consortium models. In addition, the article addresses specific guidelines for establishing collaborative research, delineates the organizational support needed to implement such projects, and offers three possible research foci (outcomes research, case management research, and population-specific research).