Cherill Scott

Nursing in the public sphere: breaching the boundary between research and policy.

Nursing in the public sphere: breaching the boundary between research and policy Nurses and nursing are associated traditionally with activities in a private sphere. This paper argues that, if clinical care is to be improved, nurses need to take a more active public role in making and implementing health policy at both local and national levels. In the current climate, empirical evidence is one of the most important tools for influencing health policy. This paper discusses contemporary models of the policy-making process before outlining a number of strategies that could be used to increase the policy impact of nursing research. Finally, while the current climate in the United Kingdom health-care arena presents opportunities for researchers to have an impact on policy, the growth of health policy research as a distinct field of scholarship also poses a number of challenges and dangers.

Florence Nightingale at First Hand Lynn McDonald Florence Nightingale at First Hand Continuum UK £14.99 224pp 9781441132550 9781441132550

WRITINGS ON Florence nightingale offer two contrasting views of her life. the first is that she was a formidable and highly influential woman, with enlightened views about disease prevention, the care of sick people and the role of professionally trained nurses. the alternative view is that she was a flawed Victorian hero, who enjoyed celebrity status in her lifetime but whose achievements were overestimated.