Nurses and doctors - three OUH nurses complete doctoral studies

Three Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) nurses have graduated from their doctoral programmes at Oxford Brookes University, boosting the number of doctoral-prepared nurses at OUH.

Dr Carol Forde-Johnston, Recruitment and Retention Nurse Lead in the NOTSSCAN division, Dr Lian Lee, Deputy Matron in SUWON Division Theatres, and Dr Diana Yardley, Advanced Practitioner in Children’s Diabetes, bring the number of doctoral-prepared nurses at OUH to 18, with several more undertaking doctoral programmes.

Carol, Lian and Diana were all supported by the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre: Oxford during their studies.

Professor Helen Walthall, OUH Director of Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals' (NMAHP) Research and Innovation, said: “I would like to congratulate Carol, Lian and Diana on reaching this important milestone on their clinical academic journey. Their success strengthens the research culture in our hospitals. Having completed their doctoral-level study, these colleagues can play an even greater role in bringing advanced research expertise to bear on clinical practice - ensuring that patients benefit from the latest evidence and improvements in care.

“I’m delighted to see that the number of nurses who have reached this level of academic achievement is growing in our workforce – and this is vital for a Trust like ours that sees itself as a leading centre of healthcare research. We need more nurses, midwives and allied health professionals generating new knowledge, translating evidence into everyday clinical practice and leading innovation in care delivery.”

Lian’s Doctor in Nursing research looked at the changing dynamics in theatres with the advent of robotic surgery. She examined the growing importance of communication for nurses in this field, highlighting their role in patient safety, shared decision-making, and leadership. Her findings provide valuable recommendations on how to integrate artificial intelligence into professional practice, education, research and healthcare leadership policy.

Carol’s PhD in Nursing explored how nurses' use of electronic patient records (EPR) systems influenced the quality of their interactions with patients on four acute hospital wards. Some important themes emerged: there was reduced reciprocal face-to-face communication between nurses and patients; cumbersome computer systems were monopolising nurses’ time and impeding face-to-face communication; nurses’ use of EPR scripts fostered a task-orientated agenda; and patients have a more positive perception of the quality of interactions than nurses. 

With digital transformation continuing to dominate nursing in the coming years, Carol’s post-doctoral work in this area will continue to inform the developing evidence base.    

Diana’s doctoral research explored how healthcare professionals in paediatric diabetes services experience and navigate safeguarding and child protection work, examining the complexity of decision-making for clinicians in this area. The findings highlight the need to strengthen safeguarding supervision, improve interprofessional communication and embed structured education and support to enhance confidence and consistency in practice. 

This research has contributed to national discussions, including the integration of more robust safeguarding data into the national paediatric diabetes audit workforce dataset. It has also informed local and national diabetes and safeguarding workstreams, with a focus on improving access to professional development and support and enhancing guidance, training and support to help vulnerable children and families receive safer, more effective care. Diana has also been invited to join an international group of nurses and midwives participating in child protection research.

All three received funding from the NIHR BRC: Oxford to undertake their doctoral studies. The BRC provides up to £10,000 a year for three years to give the recipients protected time away from their clinical duties to work on their studies. The funding then allows their clinical role to be backfilled. Diana received support from the BRC’s Preparatory Award for a Research Career (PARC) Programme, while Carol has also received a post-doctoral award from the BRC.

“What these three outstanding colleagues have shown is that when nurses are given protected time and dedicated academic support, they are able to fulfil their potential, which in turn will underpin wider clinical improvements,” Professor Walthall commented. 

“Their outstanding success is contributing to a stronger, more embedded research culture at OUH; As well as bringing evidence-based improvements into clinical areas and helping to shape future nursing practice, they are also fantastic role models for colleagues who might decide to follow a similar path.”