Research Strategy
Our Mission
To enhance the health and wellbeing of individuals, families and communities through discovery, education and translation of evidence to nursing practice and healthcare.
Research as the cornerstone of excellent nursing practice
Our Aims
The aims of the Department of Nursing at the University of Melbourne are to develop practice-relevant evidence and to ensure the translation of evidence to improve the experiences of, and outcomes for, patients and their families. The following goals are directed at achieving these aims:
- To improve patients’ and families’ experiences of healthcare
- To improve patient and family health outcomes, including through the reduction of harm and improvement in the safety and quality of healthcare
- To improve all phases of the illness pathway from diagnosis, through treatment, during ongoing care needs and through end-of-life
- To enhance the patient’s and family’s capacity to self-manage and control their healthcare needs
- To design health services that are patient centered
- To prepare the workforce to enhance outcomes and experiences for patients and families
Our Value Statements
- Partnership – health care experiences and outcomes will be enhanced if we work in partnership with service users to design a quality health system and services.
- Equity – we recognize that many people in our community are at risk of poorer health experiences and outcomes and our research seeks to redress inequity
- Respect – all people have the right to be treated with respect and compassion in their encounters with health service providers
- Strengths – all people bring to their encounters with the health system, resources, skills and experiences that can be harnessed to improve health care experiences and outcomes
- Ownership – people affected by illness require the opportunity to own decisions about their treatment and care
- Nurses have the capacity to influence the quality of people’s health care experiences through expert engagement with service users, quality care provision and improved system design
- Collaboration – our research will be strengthened through multidisciplinary, cross-sector research activity
Theoretical Perspectives
Research undertaken by staff and students of the Department of Nursing draws on a wide range of theoretical traditions. However all research is situated within an overarching focus on person-centered health care.
Methodological Approaches
Research within the Department of Nursing uses a wide range of methodological traditions and methods enhanced by collaborations with a range of researchers in other disciplines across the University and within our clinical partner organizations. These include but are not limited to:
- Epidemiological research and administrative data mining
- Qualitative research
- Descriptive studies
- Intervention development and testing
- Program evaluation
- Health economic analysis
- Advanced analytics
Key Indicators of Success
This research strategy aims to build a coherent research approach for staff and students within the Department. We will know we are successful if:
- Research undertaken within the Department increasingly demonstrates alignment to the strategy
- Graduates and clinicians aligned to the research focus are attracted to honorary appointment within the Department
- Research grant success increases in the areas of focus
- Publication profile in top nursing journals grows year on year
- Invitations to speak as recognized experts at key national and international meetings grows year on year
- National and international students are attracted to undertake research degrees within the areas of focus
- Teaching programs reflect an evidence base centered around the goals of the strategy
- Teaching staff within the Department are successfully integrated into our research program
- We are approached by other health disciplines to be collaborate partners in their research programs