Barriers to Research and Quality Improvement in Nephrology: Nurses and Allied Health Professionals' Perspectives

IF 2 4区医学 Q3 NURSING

Journal of renal care Pub Date : 2026-09-29 DOI:10.1111/jorc.70084

Rachael C. Walker, Edward Zimbudzi, Ronald L. Castelino, Sangeeta Paudyal, Ginger Chu

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Nurses and allied health professionals play a critical role in delivering kidney care and improving outcomes for people with kidney disease. However, engagement in research remains limited, and barriers within nephrology are not well understood.

Objectives

To explore perceived barriers and facilitators to research and quality initiatives engagement among nephrology nurses and allied health professionals in Australia and New Zealand.

Design, Participants, and Methods

A mixed-methods convergent parallel study was conducted using an online survey and facilitated workshop at the Renal Society of Australasia Conference (June 2025). The Capability, Opportunity, Motivation–Behaviour (COM-B) framework guided data collection and analysis. Quantitative data were analysed descriptively, while qualitative data from focus groups were analysed using framework analysis and mapped to COM-B domains.

Results

Forty-seven survey responses and 28 workshop participants were included. Barriers related to opportunity (lack of time, resources, and organisational support) and capability (limited knowledge of research processes and low confidence with research methodologies) were identified. Despite these barriers, strong motivational facilitators were identified. Participants valued research as important for improving patient care and clinical practice and expressed a strong desire to be involved in future research and quality initiatives. Findings reinforced the importance of mentorship, networking, leadership support, and protected time as enablers of research engagement.

Conclusions

Research engagement is influenced by interacting capability, opportunity, and motivational factors. Strategies to build research and quality improvement capacity in nephrology should address knowledge gaps, strengthen organisational support, and foster collaborative research cultures to enable sustainable clinician-led research and evidence-based kidney care.

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肾病学研究和质量改进的障碍：护士和专职卫生专业人员的观点。

背景：护士和相关卫生专业人员在提供肾脏护理和改善肾脏疾病患者的预后方面发挥着关键作用。然而，研究的参与仍然有限，肾脏学中的障碍还没有得到很好的理解。目的：探讨澳大利亚和新西兰肾病科护士和专职卫生专业人员参与研究和质量倡议的感知障碍和促进因素。设计、参与者和方法：在澳大拉西亚肾脏学会会议（2025年6月）上，通过在线调查和促进研讨会进行了一项混合方法的趋同平行研究。能力、机会、动机和行为（COM-B）框架指导数据收集和分析。定量数据采用描述性分析，而焦点小组的定性数据采用框架分析并映射到COM-B域。结果：包括47份调查问卷和28名研讨会参与者。确定了与机会（缺乏时间、资源和组织支持）和能力（对研究过程的知识有限和对研究方法的信心不足）相关的障碍。尽管存在这些障碍，我们还是确定了强大的激励促进因素。与会者重视研究对改善病人护理和临床实践的重要性，并表达了参与未来研究和质量倡议的强烈愿望。研究结果强调了指导、网络、领导支持和保护时间作为研究参与的推动者的重要性。结论：研究投入受互动能力、机会和动机因素的影响。建立肾脏学研究和质量改进能力的战略应该解决知识差距，加强组织支持，培养合作研究文化，以实现可持续的临床主导的研究和循证肾脏护理。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of renal care Nursing-Advanced and Specialized Nursing

CiteScore

3.50

自引率

5.30%

发文量

期刊介绍： The Journal of Renal Care (JORC), formally EDTNA/ERCA Journal, is the official publication of the European Dialysis and Transplant Nursing Association/European Renal Care Association (EDTNA/ERCA). The Journal of Renal Care is an international peer-reviewed journal for the multi-professional health care team caring for people with kidney disease and those who research this specialised area of health care. Kidney disease is a chronic illness with four basic treatments: haemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis conservative management and transplantation, which includes emptive transplantation, living donor & cadavaric transplantation. The continuous world-wide increase of people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) means that research and shared knowledge into the causes and treatment is vital to delay the progression of CKD and to improve treatments and the care given. The Journal of Renal Care is an important journal for all health-care professionals working in this and associated conditions, such as diabetes and cardio-vascular disease amongst others. It covers the trajectory of the disease from the first diagnosis to palliative care and includes acute renal injury. The Journal of Renal Care accepts that kidney disease affects not only the patients but also their families and significant others and provides a forum for both the psycho-social and physiological aspects of the disease.