Mobilizing nursing leadership in primary health care research

Noting the dearth of nurses with doctorates, the author calls for more practical and faster ways of preparing nurses to conduct research, especially primary health care research. The author explains that there is a need for information on how to apply primary health care to local conditions, and that nurses are in the best position to conduct this type of research. But not only do nurses seldom conduct research, most of the research they do conduct is hospital rather than community-based. Establishing a doctoral program for nurses would mean a wait of 5-10 years before any results can have an impact on public health policy. But as the experiences of the College of Nursing of Saint Louis University (SLU) in Baguio City, Philippines indicate, doctoral training is not necessary when it comes to conducting primary health research. In 1979, SLU launched a Mobile Nursing Clinic, a primarily staffed by nurses. SLU then proceeded to study the effectiveness of the MNC model in providing primary health care. While the study has not yet influenced national health policy, the research team (composed mostly of baccalaureate nursing graduates with only one introductory course in research) believes that it has positively affected the perception of the nurse's role in the community. In order to meet the need for nursing research, the author recommends that countries pull their resources together and conduct intensive research training workshops for nurses. In the Philippines, the Association of Dean of Colleges of Nursing has revised its programs to support nursing research. The curriculum is now more community-oriented and community-based, and it includes courses in other disciplines. Furthermore, students are encouraged to conduct action research in the community.