My colleagues on the editorial board have in the most recent guest editorials set a specific challenge to readers of this journal, that is, for researchers to make explicit in their reporting of studies what the results will mean for clinicians and for clinicians to take responsibility for using such evidence in their clinical practice. Readers might be asking themselves: "Is this a new challenge being set?" And of course, the answer would be no. But I would agree with my board colleagues and add that we might well not influence the delivery of high-quality care to all based on evidence until we address 2 key points:

1. to find ways to formally connect academic and practice communities to ensure that together we research the interventions that contribute to the health and well-being of our patients and

2. to resolve the perceived mismatch between available research evidence and the research preferences or priorities of patients receiving our care.

Let us consider my first point. At the Royal College of Nursing of the United Kingdom International Research Conference 2009, Prof. Dame Jill Macleod Clark noted that only 8% of the papers being presented at the conference directly focused on measuring nursing interventions. She went on to state that "We need to reposition where we are going in research and put science at the centre of nursing intervention[horizontal ellipsis] if we have a scientific base for nursing intervention, it will act as a really powerful vehicle for defining and measuring the nursing contribution to care."1 This lack of practice-related research has been reported elsewhere.2,3 Forbes,2 although encouraging of the general increase in research activity in 3 European nursing journals, notes that nearly 90% were nonclinical in nature. He goes on to warn readers that researchers outside nursing may well begin to take the lead on knowledge generation regarding what nurses should do to improve the well-being of patients. In a practice-based profession, it would seem inappropriate that clinicians would not be fully engaged in developing the interventions they apply to patients.2 Rigorous evidence is required for many of the interventions we use with our patients, and we require explicit assessments of the way that interventions work, why they work, for whom, and in what circumstances. Creating this research and inquiring culture of the nursing practices we deliver are a predicament we face internationally. Nurses, both in research and clinical practice, must collaborate closely if we are to develop a stronger base for the care we deliver so that it will impact both on patient outcomes and the quality of care.

Now I would like to turn to my second point. Recently highlighted are some concerns that there may be a mismatch between available research evidence and the research preferences of consumers.4,5 In response to these concerns, Macmillan Cancer Support undertook the "Listening Study" to ask cancer patients to identify research they see as a priority.6 Their study identified 15 priority areas including use and effectiveness of complimentary therapies, experiences and management of adverse effects, impact on life, how to live with cancer, and related support issues. Their highest-ranked concerns are underrepresented in UK cancer research, leading the study team to recommend that current research activity be broadened to reflect the priorities of people affected by the disease. This first UK-wide study is highly significant for 2 reasons: it utilizes a major policy drive toward patient and public involvement in research6-8; it will inform the strategic direction for cancer research in the United Kingdom through a focus on issues that matter to patients and their carers. However, we must be clear that this important study will not inform research focusing on children and young people's cancer care as the research did not seek the voices of this particular cancer population. Children and young people differ greatly from adults in terms of their illness, its treatment, and the necessary interventions required. Despite that limitation, there is now a solid policy infrastructure for supporting consumers' research priorities. We must now use the policy to influence and sustain participation at all levels in cancer care.

The strategic direction for cancer nursing research must be informed by patient involvement and seek to find effective solutions to patient problems through a formal connection between academic and practice communities. I wish readers success in this shared endeavor.

With best wishes to you.

Faith Gibson, PhD, RSCN, FRCN

Editorial Board Member, Cancer Nursing(TM)

References