Home → Faculty of Health → Research Information and Activities → Research Areas in Nursing and Midwifery

Research Programs in the School of Nursing and Midwifery

Mental Health Nursing

This program locates research into mental health nursing within a broad framework of mental health services research. The main focus of the program is to assess the effectiveness of nursing led psychological and psychosocial interventions using qualitative and/or quantitative research methods. Current projects include a study of staff attitudes, knowledge and experience of consumers with borderline personality disorder; a study assessing the effectivesness of providing dialectial behaviour therapy for boarderline personality disorder in a standard regional mental health service; and a study validating the use of a violence rating scale developed in Europe and the USA in Australian conditions. Honours and research higher degree students undertaking research within the program are either directly involved in these projects or are working in related areas.

Midwifery

Professor Kathleen Fahy

The program is concerned with research which contributes to midwifery's core business of promoting holistic wellbeing for woman and babies during the childbearing year, taking into account the physical and social environment. This involves research and theory development about the safety and effectiveness of midwifery models of care. Within that we have a focus upon continuity of midwifery care as it affects the experiences and outcomes of women (and families) who are at risk of poor outcomes. Current studies include "Identifying women at risk of premature birth", "Evaluating the safety and effectiveness of Birth Centres", "The Relationship Between Birth Environment and Birth Outcomes", "Factors Affecting Woman's Embodied Sense of Self During Childbearing" Factors that Enhance Women's Energy Levels After Birth" "Midwifery Intervention aimed at Enhancing Wellbeing who are Smokers at the Beginning of Pregnancy" and "Enhancing Inter-professional Collaboration". We have particular expertise with critical, feminist and post structural methodologies. Drawing upon expertise within the Faculty of Health and the Research Centre for Mothers and Babies we also embrace logicol-empirical, quantitative methodologies.

OIder Person Nursing

Professor Tina Koca and Dr Isabel Higgins

The research program has a focus on healthy ageing and listening to the voices of older people, whether in acute care facilities or in the coummunity. Whilst healthy ageing is a major focus, the main research objective is to articulate the voice of older people. Research currently being conducted will explore story telling with older people who have been rendered voiceless through stroke or dementia. Person centred care and identity work are gaining momentum in the nursing care of older people with dementia and/or stroke. What are the issues that constrain or facilitate these practices?

Professor Koch has used story telling and participatory action research as the approach to engage with people; particularly in relation to chronic illness experience research. Inquiries exploring peoples experience with chronic illness has enabled us to build an understanding of 'transition'. Transition, or the way in which people have learnt to absorb the consequences of living through a disruptive life event such as chronic illness and then create a sense of continuity again, has been the centre of theoretical development. Building theory collaboratively with community dwelling participants is the distinguishing feature of a research program and approach to participatory action. Now that we have a better understanding of transition, how can health care professionals incorporate these understandings into practice?

Paediatric, Youth and Family Health Nursing

Professor Diana Keatinge

This program seeks to further research and practice development in this specialty area of nursing and multidisciplinary health care delivery particularly throughout the Hunter region. Funded research and the ongoing program of research in the context of neonatal, paediatric, adolescent and child and family health relates to: family/consumer participation in, and information requirements related to, health care; continuity of care; models of care; nursing practice; nursing leadership; and management, and systems of health care delivery.

Clinical Research & Development

Professor Margaret McMillan

The strategic aim is to build clinical nursing research capacity. The focus of the research is intentionally broad in order to capitalise on all available expertise and to foster multidisciplinary research in teams. The main theme is ‘clinical research’. Professor McMillan’s focus on clinical practice development and models of care has led to a suite of projects that include: the scope of nursing practice; competency standards; boundaries of professional practice; multi-professional education and practice; nurse education models and frameworks and models of best practice.

Acute Care Nursing

The position of professor of Acute Care is due to be filled soon. Potential applicants should discuss their research interests with the School Research Coordinator in the first instance.