Sustaining innovation in the health care workforce: A case study of community nurse consultant posts in England
2011

Sustaining Innovation in Community Nursing

Sample size: 10 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Vari M Drennan, Claire Goodman

Primary Institution: Kingston University and St. George's University of London

Hypothesis

What factors sustain or curtail workforce innovations in community nursing roles?

Conclusion

The nurse consultant roles in this community health service setting were not successfully assimilated into the health care system.

Supporting Evidence

  • Only five out of ten nurse consultant posts remained after two years.
  • The roles faced challenges due to lack of support and clarity in responsibilities.
  • Nurse consultants often left for higher management positions or other organizations.

Takeaway

This study looked at new nursing roles and found that many of them didn't last because they weren't well supported or understood by the rest of the team.

Methodology

A mixed method case study evaluation using interviews, observations, documentary analysis, and questionnaires over three years.

Potential Biases

The views collected may reflect only those with strong opinions about the nurse consultant roles.

Limitations

The study was conducted in one primary care organization, which may limit the generalizability of the findings.

Participant Demographics

The study involved nurse consultants and various stakeholders in a primary care organization in England.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1472-6963-11-200

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