Overview Background to researcher Background to research Issues around access

1. Conducting research in the community:A researcher's perspectiveMaurice NagingtonSupervisors: Karen Luker, Catherine Walshe

2. Overview • Background to researcher • Background to research • Issues around access • Vision versus reality of researching in the community

3. Background to researcher • Qualified nurse – September 2006 • Acute medicine • Hospice • PhD completed 2012 • Patients and carers views on the quality of palliative and supportive district nursing care • Strong interests in palliative care, moral philosophy, ethics, HIV, arts and humanities of nursing care • Supervisors: • Catherine Walshe • Karen Luker

4. Background to research Mostly a healthcare professionals’ perspective Not much from the patients’ perspective

5. Access

6. Negotiating access

7. Maintaining access • June - September 2010 • Ethics application accepted September • DN manager in PCT A changed • Begin meeting with DNs in PCT B • Re-negotiate access with PCT A manager

8. Maintaining access • September - December 2010 • DN manager in PCT A changed AGAIN • Re-negotiate access with PCT A manager • 2 DN sisters in PCT A changed – re-met with new sisters • Added additional PCT and negotiated access • Approached hospices • Began working with research nurses

9. Maintaining access • March 2011 – September 2012 • PCT A abandoned • Hospices and other PCTs recruiting well • Contact successful recruiters regularly

10. What worked? What didn’t work? •  • Showing semi-structured interview protocols to recruiters • Previous contacts • Grass roots approach  • Researching ethics committees • High level ‘buy in’ • Consistency • Managerial • Nursing • Portfolio adoption • Chasing people • Maintaining contact with successful recruiters

11. Recruitment

12. Recruitment: vision • September 2010 – September 2011 • 2 local primary care trusts • Various healthcare professionals • District nurses • Community matrons • Specialist nurses • Total of 30 patients and 30 carers

13. Recruitment: reality • September 2010 – October 2011 • Approximately 75 packs handed out • Locations • 5 Primary Care Trusts: n=8 • 5 Hospices: n=18 • Recruiters • 22 district nursing teams: n=6 • 3 community matron teams: n=1 • 17 specialist nurses: n=1 • 3 Research nurses (working in hospices): n=16 • Hospice staff: n = 2

14. What worked? What didn’t work?  • Think of a strategy, and treble it in magnitude • Research nurses - in hospices etc • 1 in 3 recruited • Data saturation •  • Research nurses in community settings • Specialist nurses • Recruiting non-cancer patients • Illness/death

15. Data collection

16. Data collection: vision

17. Data collection: reality

18. What worked? What didn’t work? •  • Diaries • Declined • Too ill • Second interviews • Death • Too ill • Declined  • Interviews • Venue • Homes/Hospices/ University • Transcription • Budgeted • Quality service

19. Conclusions Or

20. Conclusions • Don’t flog a dead horse, get a new one • Write an ethics application that allows you flexibility • Try and get portfolio adoption • Have a diverse recruitment strategy • Have managerial ‘buy in’ • Work with hospices • If possible work with research nurses • Palliative care recruitment (can be) just as effective as other research areas

21. Questions