Research that supports nursing teams 1: how research can improve patient care and nurse wellbeing

This article, the first in a four-part series about using research evidence to inform the delivery of nursing care, discusses four studies that were funded following the two Francis inquiries into care failings at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust. Each study evaluated an intervention method in an acute hospital setting that aimed to improve patient care and protect the wellbeing of nursing staff; these included a team-based practice development programme, a relational care training intervention for healthcare assistants, a regular bedside ward round (intentional rounding), and monthly group meetings during which staff discussed the emotional challenges of care. The remaining articles in this series will explore the results of the studies and how they can be applied to nursing care during, and after, the coronavirus pandemi