Supporting nursing and midwifery-led clinical research to guide, inform and change healthcare

531,000 nurses and midwives in Australia and New Zealand make up approximately 60% of the healthcare workforce².

Of the 200 grants funded to clinical research networks between 2004 and 2014, only 9 were awarded to nursing and midwifery-specific research³.

Nursing and midwifery-led research have great potential to improve the health and well-being of individuals and communities as nurses and midwives are well positioned to lead high quality, scalable research⁴.

Being involved in a network when submitting a Grant, leads to a higher acceptance success rate³.

The ANMCTN was established with the guidance of the Australian Clinical Trials Alliance (ACTA), which was approached by a team of nursing and midwifery research experts from across Australia. This team included Professor Marion Eckert, Professor Claire Rickard, Distinguished Professor Patsy Yates and Emeritus Professor Gavin Leslie, who had identified the need for nursing and midwifery-led clinical research representation and funding.

This team then operationalised the ANMCTN through monthly meetings and via engagement with the CDNM, who facilitated the ANMCTN to build founding memberships from universities across Australasia. 

The network is currently governed by an Executive Committee and a Strategic Advisory Committee. 

• Auckland University of Technology
• Australian Catholic University
• Australian Clinical Trials Alliance
• Charles Darwin University
• Curtin University
• Deakin University
• Edith Cowan University
• Flinders University
• Griffith University
• James Cook University
• La Trobe University
• Massey University
• Queensland University of Technology
  

Publications

1. https://anmctn.com.au/publications/ 
2. 2022 ANMCTN Advocacy Statement
3. Nurse- and midwife-led trials in Australia and New Zealand: Scoping review protocol
4. A scoping review of nurse-led randomised controlled trials
5. Midwife led randomised controlled trials in Australia and New Zealand: A scoping review
6. Harnessing the nursing and midwifery workforce to boost Australia’s clinical research impact.

References

1. Eckert, Marion., Rickard, Claire.M., Forsythe, Deborah., Baird, Kathleen., Finn, Judith., Gilkison, Andrea., Gray, Richard., Homer, Caroline.S., Middleton, Sandy., Neville, Stephen. and Whitehead, Lisa., 2022. Harnessing the nursing and midwifery workforce to boost Australia’s clinical research impact. The Medical Journal of Australia, 217(10), pp.n-a.  doi: 10.5694/mja2.51758
2. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Health workforce. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-health/health-workforce (viewed Oct 2022).
3. Australian Clinical Trials Alliance. Report on the activities and achievements of clinical trials networks in Australia: 2004–2014. Melbourne: National Health and Medical Research Council, 2015. https://clinicaltrialsalliance.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ACTA_Networks_Report_2004-14_online.pdf  (viewed Apr 2022).
4. Borbasi, S., Hawes, C., Wilkes, L., Stewart, M., May, D. Measuring the outputs of Australian nursing research published 1995–2000. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 2002;38(5):489-97.