Research Methods for Nurses and Midwives : Theory and Practice

This book is the only research methods book you need to succeed whilst studying nursing and midwifery.

Ideal for all pre and beyond registration nurses, this book has everything you need to know about consuming, critiquing and using research; it then builds on this foundation to develop these ideas into workable practice for real-world research.

Inspired by over 25 years combined experience, the authors have structured the book around the complimentary spheres of theory and practice and take you through each step of the research process, demonstrating how to choose a question, design your research proposal, collect data, analyse your findings and write up your research.

It explores:

·         Evidence-based research

·         Literature and systematic reviews

·         Ethics

·         Secondary Data

·         Research design

·         Methodologies and individual methods

·         Data analysis – quantitative and qualitative

Interwoven with case studies and embracing quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods alike, this balanced textbook provides an introduction to a wide range of theories and methods and is packed full of material specially created to meet student and instructor needs.

Whether you are new to research methods or returning to formal education and hoping to conduct your own research, this book is your ideal companion.

Merryl Harvey qualified as a nurse in 1982. After qualifying as a midwife in 1984, her area of practice was neonatal intensive care. Merryl’s clinical career culminated in her working as a clinical teacher and this in turn led her to take up a post at Birmingham City University. Initially this was to run the post-registration neonatal intensive care course.

In more recent years Merryl was been seconded to work on a number of large-scale, funded research projects which have focused on aspects of parenting and preterm birth. She secured the Bliss Research Fellow post based at the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit (2004–2007). Her MSc explored aspects of the neonatal nurse practitioner role and her PhD explored fathers’ experiences of the birth and immediate care of their baby.

Merryl has a strong journal publication history and has co-authored a text on fatherhood in relation to midwifery and neonatal practice (2012). Her co-authored text ‘Achieving Your Doctorate while Working in Higher Education’ is due to be published by Sage in 2021.  Merryl became Professor of Nursing and Family Health at Birmingham City University in 2017.

Before her retirement in 2019, Merryl was co-lead of the Family Health Research Cluster and co-lead of the Elizabeth Bryan Multiple Births Centre.

Lucy Land qualified as a nurse in 1980 and worked in haematology, caring for patients with leukaemia, sickle cell anaemia and other blood disorders. Eventually specialising in haemophilia, Lucy was one of the first clinical nurse specialists, supporting a regional outpatient and home treatment service.

Following this successful career in practice, she became a clinical nurse teacher and later qualified as a registered nurse tutor. After moving into Birmingham City  University, Lucy continued to teach and to undertake funded research projects which focussed  on patient experience and  completing several studies on this subject. In addition to a substantial history of journal publications, Lucy was co-author of an earlier Sage publication – Resources for Nursing Research: An Annotated Bibliography.

Now retired from her role as professor of nursing,  and Director of the Centre for Social Care, Health and Related Research (C-SHaRR) Lucy maintains a keen interest patient care and works in the voluntary sector to promote patient advocacy and inclusion.