Multi-professional perceptions of clinical research delivery and the Clinical Research Nurse role: a realist review

INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND: The delivery of clinical research and the Clinical Research Nurse (CRN) role is fundamental to the wider health agenda, yet both remain misunderstood outwith research teams. METHODS: A realist review was conducted to identify factors that influence how clinical research is perceived by healthcare professionals operating outside NHS clinical research teams. Keyword searches were undertaken across four healthcare databases including grey literature, with iterative snowball searching. Data were extracted from 42/387 sources. Coding generated 3664 extracts of text across 160 themes. Theories generated were presented as ‘If-Then’ statements. RESULTS: Thirteen theory statements described factors that may influence how clinical research is perceived by healthcare professionals operating outside clinical research teams across three contextual levels: • Micro: Individual characteristics/behaviours/CRN perceptions; • Meso: Interpersonal relationships at the interface between CRN roles and healthcare delivery; • Macro: Systemwide/infrastructural/cultural issues impacting clinical research delivery. CONCLUSION: Factors at micro, meso and macro level contexts may influence how clinical research is perceived by healthcare professionals operating outside clinical research teams. This has the potential to affect the success of clinical research delivery. Meso level theories regarding the perceptions of healthcare professionals outwith research teams may provide insight. Empirical testing of one such theory is underway.