The APRAISE Registers: Growing Research Delivery Opportunities for Nurses, Midwives and Allied Health Professionals at Advanced- and Enhanced-levels of Practice in the South West
Dr Frazer Underwood, Chief Nursing Officer for NMAHPs at the NIHR Clinical Research Network South West Peninsula explains what the new APRAISE registers are.
What are the APRAISE Registers?
The APRAISE Registers are regional and local databases for Advanced Practitioners and Enhanced Practitioners interested in research delivery opportunities.
Where did the idea for the registers come from?
Originally, the Advanced Practitioner PRincipAl InveStigator rEgister, or APRIASE register for short, was created to host simple contact details of primary care based Advanced Practitioners to enable the Clinical Research Network ‘s primary care research portfolio holder to disseminate research delivery studies of interest to them.
We know there is a growing population of Advanced Practitioners across many healthcare setting in our regions. Their Master’s level training and competency requirements prepare them with the knowledge and skills to take on research delivery roles in their setting, able to take on Principle Investigator responsibilities. The Advanced Practice role is made up of four fundamental pillars of practice. One of these pillars, the research pillar, has often been challenging to define and evidence activity against in practice. Working with the NHS England South West’s Faculty of Advancing Practice, the Clinical Research Network is identifying new opportunities for this level of practitioner to fundamentally grow their research delivery options and importantly offer new research opportunities to their local patient population.
The primary care register evolved to include interested Enhanced-level Practitioners in primary care and now a secondary care register has been developed to support the growth of Advanced and Enhanced Level Practitioners in hospital and mental health care settings who show an interest in research delivery opportunities.
What happens when I sign up to the register?
The register hosts the names of nurses, midwives and allied health professionals at advanced and enhanced level who want to support their patients to participate in research. When you fill out the registration for and indicate the specialist area(s) of research interested, you will be contacted with research delivery opportunities by a regional (in primary care) or local (in secondary care) research manager with detail of research study delivery opportunities for you to consider. This opens a dialogue about feasibility to deliver the study, what it practically involves and how much time might it take for example. You will also be able to be guided to further help and training and development opportunities offered the Clinical Research Network.
