Midwifery 31 (2015) 1119–1120
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Midwifery journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/midw
Editorial
The impact of research assessments on midwifery
Midwives partner with women to promote self-care and promote the health of mothers, infants, families and communities. They are a crucial and reliable driver for healthy and civil societies where women are valued and accordingly receive appropriate maternal care and support for their families. Midwifery is an independent discipline in the academy, particularly in Australia and the United Kingdom, and as a consequence judged and valued according to academic standards. Universities and the academy, previously assumed as being independent and often beyond scrutiny, are now the focus of not just assessment of performance but also their impact. It is no longer acceptable or appropriate to undertake research independent of the strategic needs of society. The days of the ivory tower are well and truly over. In the United Kingdom, many countries in Europe as well as Australia and New Zealand have undertaken research assessment exercises (McKenna, 2015). To date, these exercises have been undertaken in countries receiving considerable government funding but globally there is an increased emphasis on ranking of universities, in both teaching and research, using a range of metrics from citations, external funding, impact of research, cost, student debt and peer assessment (Jeremic et al., 2011; Gnolek et al., 2014). Globally, there is an increased focus on not just accountability of universities but also their value proposition. Research assessment exercises, as well as rating and ranking exercises, have required that we all become more skilful and adept at negotiating these complex processes (Davidson et al., 2014). This requires collection of research income, skilful management of bibliometrics, targeting higher performance of faculty, as well as describing the impact the impact of research on individuals, community and society. Although midwives have always been vital to the health and well-being of communities, the Millennium Development Goals, as well as an increased focus on assessing health outcomes, have underscored the critical role of midwives and increased the importance of not just their clinical skills, driver of social good but also their research (van Teijlingen et al., 2014). The June 2014 Lancet Series on Midwifery has cast a welcome spotlight on midwifery (ten Hoope-Bender and Renfrew, 2014). This series of articles systematically documented the contribution that midwifery makes to individual women, their families and the health system. This is highly favourable expose and great profile positioning, not just valuing midwifery, but also strategically positioning midwives as integral for achieving health care reform and global stability. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2015.10.003 0266-6138/& 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Regardless of the discipline in the health care professions the pathway is clear, research performance is part of the contemporary agenda and there is a need for positioning science in the best light and leveraging this status to improve the lives of individuals, families and communities we serve. Research assessment and impact exercises are here to stay. Each cycle brings not only a change in metrics, unintended consequences and usually controversy and debate (Elton, 2000). These ranking exercises are often a moving target, where universities become adept at collecting a certain type of information, only for the metrics to change in the next cycle. This requires considerable investment of human resources as well as positioning and strategy. This current trend on rankings will require us to reframe and refocus our attention on not only the research we do, how we disseminate the outcomes but also how we measure the impact of our research. Midwives need to be at the decision making table where metrics are defined and consequences developed and also be at the forefront of measuring outcomes not only at the level of the individual but also the population. This requires not only the ability to access large data sets but also the capacity and skills for analysis. All of us need to be skilful in describing the impact of research and prospectively considering these factors during the study design period. Considering parallel methods of dissemination, particularly social media, is an important consideration if we are to influence policy makers and communities (Ferguson, 2013). Midwives will need to prospectively build cases, assemble alliances and also leverage the global spotlight on maternal and child outcomes. Fortunately, these outcome data are readily available and critically important. Schools of Nursing and Midwifery will need to allocate adequate resources for recruiting and retaining high performing scientists as well as the systems for measuring the outcomes and the impact of research. Although there are many critics of research assessment exercises, the motivations, metrics and consequences, they are here to stay and drive quality improvement. Data attracts targeted action and in many instances, midwives and nurses have been ranked highly in research enterprises (McKenna et al., 2012). Balancing opportunity as well as safe investment is an important consideration in the research milieu. Ensuring the rich do not get richer and the poor get poorer is particularly important particularly when we look at decreasing health disparities and promoting equity. There is a need to support emerging universities and ensure that research assessment does not drive elitism in the university sector (Shiner and Modood, 2002).
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Editorial / Midwifery 31 (2015) 1119–1120
It is difficult to challenge the value of increased accountability but it is dependent on individual disciplines and professions to define these metrics as well as the measures of impact. Refining and defining the metrics, minimising the administrative burden as well as fostering.
References Davidson, P.M., Newton, P.J., Ferguson, C., et al., 2014. Rating and ranking the role of bibliometrics and webometrics in nursing and midwifery. Sci. World J. 2014, 1–6. Elton, L., 2000. The UK research assessment exercise: unintended consequences. High. Educ. Q. 54, 274–283. Ferguson, C., 2013. It's time for the nursing profession to leverage social media. J. Adv. Nurs. 69, 745–747. Gnolek, S.L., Falciano, V.T., Kuncl, R.W., 2014. Modeling change and variation in US News & world report college rankings: what would it really take to be in the top 20? Res. High. Educ. 55, 761–779. Jeremic, V., Bulajic, M., Martic, M., Radojicic, Z., 2011. A fresh approach to evaluating the academic ranking of world universities. Scientometrics 87, 587–596.
McKenna, H., Daly, J., Davidson, P., Duffield, C., Jackson, D., 2012. RAE and ERA—spot the difference. Int. J. Nurs. Stud. 49, 375–377. McKenna, H.P., 2015. Research assessment: the impact of impact. Int. J. Nurs. Stud. 52, 1–3. Shiner, M., Modood, T., 2002. Help or hindrance? Higher education and the route to ethnic equality. Br. J. Sociol. Educ. 23, 209–232. ten Hoope-Bender, M., Renfrew, R., 2014. Midwifery—a vital path to quality maternal and newborn care: the story of the lancet series on midwifery. Midwifery 30, 1105–1106. van Teijlingen, E., Hundley, V., Matthews, Z., et al., 2014. Millennium development goals: all good things must come to an end, so what next? Midwifery 30, 1.
Dean and Professor Patricia M. Davidson, PhD, MEd, RN, FAAN1 Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins University, 525 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA Faculty of Health, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia E-mail address: [email protected]
1
nursing.jhu.edu/dean | LinkedIn | Follow me @nursingdean
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Midwifery journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/midw
Editorial
The impact of research assessments on midwifery
Midwives partner with women to promote self-care and promote the health of mothers, infants, families and communities. They are a crucial and reliable driver for healthy and civil societies where women are valued and accordingly receive appropriate maternal care and support for their families. Midwifery is an independent discipline in the academy, particularly in Australia and the United Kingdom, and as a consequence judged and valued according to academic standards. Universities and the academy, previously assumed as being independent and often beyond scrutiny, are now the focus of not just assessment of performance but also their impact. It is no longer acceptable or appropriate to undertake research independent of the strategic needs of society. The days of the ivory tower are well and truly over. In the United Kingdom, many countries in Europe as well as Australia and New Zealand have undertaken research assessment exercises (McKenna, 2015). To date, these exercises have been undertaken in countries receiving considerable government funding but globally there is an increased emphasis on ranking of universities, in both teaching and research, using a range of metrics from citations, external funding, impact of research, cost, student debt and peer assessment (Jeremic et al., 2011; Gnolek et al., 2014). Globally, there is an increased focus on not just accountability of universities but also their value proposition. Research assessment exercises, as well as rating and ranking exercises, have required that we all become more skilful and adept at negotiating these complex processes (Davidson et al., 2014). This requires collection of research income, skilful management of bibliometrics, targeting higher performance of faculty, as well as describing the impact the impact of research on individuals, community and society. Although midwives have always been vital to the health and well-being of communities, the Millennium Development Goals, as well as an increased focus on assessing health outcomes, have underscored the critical role of midwives and increased the importance of not just their clinical skills, driver of social good but also their research (van Teijlingen et al., 2014). The June 2014 Lancet Series on Midwifery has cast a welcome spotlight on midwifery (ten Hoope-Bender and Renfrew, 2014). This series of articles systematically documented the contribution that midwifery makes to individual women, their families and the health system. This is highly favourable expose and great profile positioning, not just valuing midwifery, but also strategically positioning midwives as integral for achieving health care reform and global stability. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2015.10.003 0266-6138/& 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Regardless of the discipline in the health care professions the pathway is clear, research performance is part of the contemporary agenda and there is a need for positioning science in the best light and leveraging this status to improve the lives of individuals, families and communities we serve. Research assessment and impact exercises are here to stay. Each cycle brings not only a change in metrics, unintended consequences and usually controversy and debate (Elton, 2000). These ranking exercises are often a moving target, where universities become adept at collecting a certain type of information, only for the metrics to change in the next cycle. This requires considerable investment of human resources as well as positioning and strategy. This current trend on rankings will require us to reframe and refocus our attention on not only the research we do, how we disseminate the outcomes but also how we measure the impact of our research. Midwives need to be at the decision making table where metrics are defined and consequences developed and also be at the forefront of measuring outcomes not only at the level of the individual but also the population. This requires not only the ability to access large data sets but also the capacity and skills for analysis. All of us need to be skilful in describing the impact of research and prospectively considering these factors during the study design period. Considering parallel methods of dissemination, particularly social media, is an important consideration if we are to influence policy makers and communities (Ferguson, 2013). Midwives will need to prospectively build cases, assemble alliances and also leverage the global spotlight on maternal and child outcomes. Fortunately, these outcome data are readily available and critically important. Schools of Nursing and Midwifery will need to allocate adequate resources for recruiting and retaining high performing scientists as well as the systems for measuring the outcomes and the impact of research. Although there are many critics of research assessment exercises, the motivations, metrics and consequences, they are here to stay and drive quality improvement. Data attracts targeted action and in many instances, midwives and nurses have been ranked highly in research enterprises (McKenna et al., 2012). Balancing opportunity as well as safe investment is an important consideration in the research milieu. Ensuring the rich do not get richer and the poor get poorer is particularly important particularly when we look at decreasing health disparities and promoting equity. There is a need to support emerging universities and ensure that research assessment does not drive elitism in the university sector (Shiner and Modood, 2002).
1120
Editorial / Midwifery 31 (2015) 1119–1120
It is difficult to challenge the value of increased accountability but it is dependent on individual disciplines and professions to define these metrics as well as the measures of impact. Refining and defining the metrics, minimising the administrative burden as well as fostering.
References Davidson, P.M., Newton, P.J., Ferguson, C., et al., 2014. Rating and ranking the role of bibliometrics and webometrics in nursing and midwifery. Sci. World J. 2014, 1–6. Elton, L., 2000. The UK research assessment exercise: unintended consequences. High. Educ. Q. 54, 274–283. Ferguson, C., 2013. It's time for the nursing profession to leverage social media. J. Adv. Nurs. 69, 745–747. Gnolek, S.L., Falciano, V.T., Kuncl, R.W., 2014. Modeling change and variation in US News & world report college rankings: what would it really take to be in the top 20? Res. High. Educ. 55, 761–779. Jeremic, V., Bulajic, M., Martic, M., Radojicic, Z., 2011. A fresh approach to evaluating the academic ranking of world universities. Scientometrics 87, 587–596.
McKenna, H., Daly, J., Davidson, P., Duffield, C., Jackson, D., 2012. RAE and ERA—spot the difference. Int. J. Nurs. Stud. 49, 375–377. McKenna, H.P., 2015. Research assessment: the impact of impact. Int. J. Nurs. Stud. 52, 1–3. Shiner, M., Modood, T., 2002. Help or hindrance? Higher education and the route to ethnic equality. Br. J. Sociol. Educ. 23, 209–232. ten Hoope-Bender, M., Renfrew, R., 2014. Midwifery—a vital path to quality maternal and newborn care: the story of the lancet series on midwifery. Midwifery 30, 1105–1106. van Teijlingen, E., Hundley, V., Matthews, Z., et al., 2014. Millennium development goals: all good things must come to an end, so what next? Midwifery 30, 1.
Dean and Professor Patricia M. Davidson, PhD, MEd, RN, FAAN1 Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins University, 525 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA Faculty of Health, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia E-mail address: [email protected]
1
nursing.jhu.edu/dean | LinkedIn | Follow me @nursingdean
