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Global Research Nurses is the latest member site of the Global Health Network (www.GlobalResearchNurses.org). It has been established to provide guidance, resources, training and expert advice directly to the nursing community in resource-limited settings and is being formally launched in Malawi on the 2 October.
Populations in the world’s poorest regions are under-represented in research and yet this is where evidence is most needed to bring improvements to health. There is a lack of research in these countries because health workers are not equipped with the tools, resources and institutional support to take part in essential medical research. Nurses are key frontline health workers and therefore should be empowered and supported in generating the evidence that is so desperately needed to bring changes to the biggest burdens in public health. This is important because the majority of capacity building efforts in research rarely includes a focus on nurses. Nurses should be supported and encouraged to not just to take part in research but also to take leading roles in designing and running studies.
The Burdett Trust for nursing has provided a grant to establish the Global Research Nurses in order that it will provide a mechanism for nurses to learn about research, access free training and have their own professional forum. Alongside the web-based activities Global Research Nurses will be running workshops in developing countries and work with training institutions to encourage research skills training to be added to curriculums and increase institutional support for nurses to expand their skills and careers by getting involved in medical research. This will not only increase opportunity and professional recognition for nurses but also enable pragmatic and locally relevant evidence-led improvements to be made in health practice in the world’s poorest regions.