Taking an Academic-Clinical Partnership to the Next Level: Creation of an Interprofessional Research Institute

Purpose: The purpose of this program is to foster the development of interprofessional research and evidence-based practice among clinicians at a pediatric academic medical center. Using the structure of a newly-created Institute for Nursing and Interprofessional Research and financial support from an academic partner, clinicians are invited to participate in research-related educational activities, seek funding for their research proposals, and engage in mentored research experiences, with the goal of improving the quality of care delivery for patients and families. In 2009, the Institute of Medicine’s Roundtable on Evidence-Based Medicine called for the creation of a learning healthcare system, one where clinicians from a variety of backgrounds are equipped to create and apply new knowledge that informs and is informed by clinical care delivery (Institute of Medicine, 2009). Similarly, the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet Designation program calls on nurses and their interprofessional colleagues to be active participants in their organization’s research, evidence-based practice, and innovation programs, recognizing that clinicians bring a unique perspective to clinical inquiry within healthcare organizations as a result of their frontline role in the delivery of care (American Nurses Credentialing Center, 2017). This aligns well with the movement towards team science, wherein investigators from different professional backgrounds work together to tackle complex, multifaceted problems (Hall, 2018; National Cancer Institute, n.d.). Clinicians are eager to contribute to these inquiry efforts but typically face significant barriers, including gaps in research-related education, lack of mentorship and funding, and limited protected time (Hagan, 2018; Hagan & Walden, 2015; Scala, Price, & Day, 2016). Models that explicitly address these barriers and that create opportunities for interprofessional engagement are needed.

Methods: The Institute for Nursing and Interprofessional Research (INIR) was launched in July 2017 with support from the hospital’s former and current chief nursing officers and an institutional commitment to secure donor funds for an endowment. The institute was given organizational visibility through the creation of a new director-level leadership position that reports directly to the Chief Clinical Officer and that is a member of the hospital’s senior leadership team. The eight-member INIR team is comprised of two nurse scientists, a part-time clinical scientist, a non-clinician research associate, a biostatistician, an administrative assistant, a part-time research assistant, and an executive advisor. The institute is explicitly interdisciplinary and has three goals: 1) to provide research-related education to clinical staff members in interprofessional learning environments, 2) to offer mentorship to clinicians and students engaged in research and evidence-based practice, and 3) to fund pilot work that holds promise for a return on investment and/or enhancements to the quality of care delivered to patients and families. The creation of a funding partnership with a local academic institution has provided a mechanism for amplifying the amount and quality of research-related education and has created the funding necessary to support an interprofessional research team through an upcoming two-year study.

Results: In its first 16 months, the INIR has provided research-related education to over 350 unique clinicians from all clinical disciplines employed by the hospital. Recognizing clinicians’ varied and busy schedules, these educational opportunities have taken a variety of formats, ranging from half- and full-day workshops to one-hour grand rounds and works-in-progress sessions. Topics have included a diverse array of topics, including grant writing, survey design, and use of REDCap as a data collection and management tool. The INIR team is currently providing ongoing mentorship and research support to 20 interprofessional research teams and 10 students, and the institute has awarded $93,592 in research grants to 9 teams, all of whom are required to demonstrate robust interprofessional engagement throughout the course of their projects. To maintain continued collaboration and transparency, the INIR team and academic donor partner meet quarterly to share updates and progress on the use of funds. The donor partner is acknowledged on all educational materials and dissemination products.

Conclusion: Organizational and donor investment in the infrastructure necessary to support interprofessional clinical research can provide clinicians with the education, mentorship, and funding necessary for them to engage in clinical inquiry that drives practice, consistent with the goal of creating a learning healthcare system. The next phase of this work will be to demonstrate outcomes for patients and families, organizational efficiency, and/or employee engagement.