Research Capabilities

Evidence-based practice

The RBRC leads research to inform evidence-based practice for nursing and midwifery. This includes developing and testing innovative models of care, exploring extended scope of practice, research translation, and program evaluation.

We conduct research on patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) and patient reported experience measures (PREMs) and use findings to inform and improve nursing and midwifery care.

We adopt methods that enable research to be informed by the people and communities it is designed to benefit.

Research capacity building

The RBRC partners with healthcare services to mentor and support nurses and midwives to lead clinical research, bridging the gap between undergraduate research competencies and higher research degree preparedness.

Through the Australasian Nursing and Midwifery Clinical Trials Network, the RBRC provides a platform to grow quality nurse and midwife-led clinical trials globally. This promotes collaboration among nursing and midwifery clinical researchers, and provides opportunities for sharing resources, training, and expertise, and strengthening applications for Australian competitive research funding.

Consumer Lab (Co-Lab)

People with lived experience of a particular illness or health issue possess invaluable knowledge and insight for health research. As the “consumers” of health care, these individuals understand what it is like to live with a health condition and engage with health care services. Their perspectives are critical for determining research priorities, conducting research, and sharing findings with the public.

Consumer engagement is a broad term that refers to decision-making with or by consumers, rather than about or for them. As per the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and the International Association of Public Participation (IAP2), consumer engagement can be classified at different levels, where higher levels provide consumers with greater authority and ownership. The most appropriate level of engagement will depend on the goals of the research or activity, reasons for engagement, and consumer and researcher capabilities.

The RBRC is committed to working collaboratively with consumers in innovative ways. We believe that consumer partnership and leadership in research is key to identifying problems that matter, generating feasible solutions, and achieving better health outcomes for society. Meaningful consumer engagement requires skills, capabilities and cultures that support equal partnerships and value lived experience. By engaging effectively with consumers, the RBRC aims to:

• Conduct research that addresses problems of importance to consumers
• Ensure consumers’ views are represented and valued in research
• Co-design innovations that meet consumers’ needs and expectations
• Enhance the real-world impact of our research
• Build consumer research capacity
• Build researcher capacity in working with consumers
• Generate evidence supporting the value of consumer involvement in research

National Policy Research Unit

In collaboration with the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) Branches, the ANMF Federal Office’s National Policy Research Unit oversees the ANMF’s national research program. The program includes working together with research partners, The Centre for Future Work, The Centre for International Corporate Tax Accountability and Research, The Rosemary Bryant AO Research Centre, as well as other Australian and international research centres and universities, to conduct studies to support effective health and ageing policy decisions.

The National Policy Research Unit has been based in the RBRC, UniSA Clinical and Health Sciences since 2018. The Unit progresses a program of research and higher degree supervision that supports and empowers nurses, midwives, and carers to improve the health and well-being of all community members safely and effectively. This work focusses on:

• delivery of safe, meaningful, quality care
• personal and professional safety in the workplace, and
• enhancing the awareness and impact of nursing, midwifery, and carers in research, policy, and practice.

The Unit’s objectives are to:

• Build upon the existing partnership model with the RBRC/UniSA to continue to enhance capacity, support, and infrastructure for the ANMF’s work.
• Develop and advance a national nursing, midwifery, and health and aged care research strategy with a focus on proactive and responsive evidence-based research and policy advice and analysis, and new and emerging research and policy issues for health, aged care, and public policy.
• Provide editorial leadership and grow the Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing (AJAN), the ANMF’s peer reviewed scholarly journal.
• Undertake high-quality nursing, midwifery, and care workforce research.
• Enhance nursing, midwifery, and carer utilisation and engagement with research, evidence, implementation, and evaluation.

Ongoing areas of research and supervision include:

• Health, maternity, and aged care workforce policy and practice
• Transition to professional practice
• Evidence-based practice and policy
• Evidence synthesis (scoping reviews and systematic reviews)
• SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19
• Supportive cancer care
• Gender and sexually diverse (LGBTIQ+) care