NMAHP RDI Fellow - Nicola Stephens - Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Nicola Stephens, a Nurse Specialist for the Inpatient Pain Service at the RVI, has been awarded a Doctoral Fellowship through Newcastle’s Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals (NMAHPs) Researcher Development Institute (RDI).

Supported by the Newcastle Hospitals Charity, this innovative Fellowship will enable Nicola to pursue a research study looking at pain management following major trauma.

More specifically Nicola’s research will explore patients’ experiences of pain and pain management, and the perceived impact on quality of life and recovery across the trauma care continuum (from acute hospital admission to longer term follow up in the community).

Charitable funding support

Nicola’s Fellowship was made possible through a mixture of NMAHP RDI funding provided by our Newcastle Hospitals Charity which will provide 0.5 WTE backfill over six years along with £5k project costs, and innovative use of our CPD funds, which will cover the cost of the tuition fees. This will allow Nicola to complete her research whilst importantly continuing to provide clinical care for patients.

She says, “I work in a very research active team where we are all encouraged to explore our own potential. When completing my MSc, I examined pain management pathways following major trauma and this raised a number of questions regarding the post hospital phase of recovery for these patients.

“At this time, I had no clue how to even begin thinking about doing some research, so I sought advice and guidance from NMAHP Research Lead, Linda Tinkler, who helped me identify development opportunities available to start developing a clinical academic career path.

“I then went on to complete a number of training courses to further develop my research skills, including the Newcastle NMAHP 4Ps Researcher Development Programme (I am a huge advocate of this course), before eventually applying for this doctoral fellowship.”

Systematic Approach

Her research will consist of three inter-linking work packages:

A systematic scoping review examining pain management across the major trauma continuum. This will help identify the gaps in current service provision and highlight key points in the patient journey when issues with pain become problematic.
A longitudinal cohort study exploring patient-reported physical, functional, emotional, and social outcomes over a 12-month period.
A nested longitudinal multiple methods qualitative study (semi structured interviews and monthly diaries) exploring patients’ experiences and perceptions of how pain has impacted their recovery and quality of life.

Pain management in trauma care

Recent advances in acute trauma care in England have seen significant improvements in survival rates for this population group. However, many of these patients survive but with life altering injuries.

Pain management has been proven to be one of the main reasons why patients fail to achieve rehabilitation goals, but little focus is given to pain management following discharge from hospital.

There are over 20,000 cases of major trauma in England each year and moderate to severe pain continues to be reported by over 50% of patients 6 months post hospital discharge with up to 25% attending chronic pain clinics several years later. The negative impact of chronic pain on patient experience and quality of life is not something that should be overlooked.

Nicola intends for her research to help us understand this better so that we can begin to explore how we can develop our practices to improve patient outcomes and reduce the negative experiences many of these patients suffer.

Evidence based practice

Newcastle already has a national reputation for the pioneering work in major trauma at the RVI’s Great North Trauma and Emergency Centre. It is hoped that Nicola’s research will build upon that reputation as knowledge gained will allow trauma specialists to develop their practice in line with patient need by having a greater understanding of how pain impacts on patient experience of recovery following major trauma.

This research will inform the development and evaluation of evidence-based, patient-centred pain management pathways for patients with traumatic injuries as well as supporting future practice development initiatives for this client group.

It will also allow us to further strengthen and develop partnerships with others, including Northumbria University, where Nicola will be studying for her PhD.

Increasing research impact whilst strengthening academic links

The collaborative nature of Nicola’s Doctoral Fellowship means that she will also be able to access support through the NHIP Academy, on behalf of both the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Northumbria University.

NHIP Academy is part of Newcastle Health Innovation Partners (NHIP) and is a new collaborative venture that aims to unlock career development opportunities for the next generation of health and care researchers, including those within the NMAHP community.

The Academy supports individuals looking to establish, progress or navigate research careers – from internships to professorial awards.

Influencing national clinical pathways

The findings will be disseminated at local and national forums so that other major trauma centres can choose to develop their own pain management pathways for this client group. It will also afford us the opportunity to work collaboratively with primary care when developing service provision for this population.

“We can’t improve our practice if we don’t have the evidence to guide us.”

Take advantage of every opportunity to develop your research skills for the benefit of your patients. If you don’t know where to start, try the Newcastle NMAHP 4Ps Researcher Development Programme.
Nicola Stephens, a Nurse Specialist in Pain Management

Nicola credits her supervisory team, Newcastle Hospitals’ AHP Consultant Dr Lisa Robinson and Northumbria University’s Associate Professor Jason Scott, who have supported and guided her on her doctoral journey. Professor Marco Tomietto, will also now join the supervision team for the duration of Nicola’s PhD.

She adds, “I would not be where I am now without the outstanding level of support and guidance from my line manager Alison Blackburn. She is very research active and has always encouraged and guided me to pursue my interests in becoming a clinical academic.”

Alison Blackburn CNS Pain Management — Alison Blackburn Clinical Nurse Specialist in Pain Management

Alison says “Nicola is an excellent candidate for the RDI PhD fellowship. She is a valuable member of the Inpatient Pain Service, and brings her expertise, clinical skills, care and compassion to her patients every working day.

“Nicola takes professional and academic development very seriously and has applied herself to this steadfastly throughout her career.

“The successful completion of her MSc has formed the basis for her PhD project which is highly relevant to her clinical role and will bring a depth of knowledge and awareness to enhance pain management for people with rib fractures.

“Nicola is a very accomplished nurse specialist, and by developing her research credentials she will continue to support and inspire her colleagues.”

Associate Director for Nursing Lisa Guthrie says Nicola’s successful Fellowship is a perfect example of how embracing development opportunities such as the Trust’s NMAHP 4Ps Researcher Development Programme has opened up exciting prospects to progress as a clinical academic.

Lisa Guthrie Associate Director of Nursing

“Nicola’s commitment, compassion and contribution to the high-quality care provided for our trauma patients is something we are extremely grateful for” explains Lisa, “so I’m delighted to see that her important research in this field will benefit from our Researcher Development Institute and in particular the innovative hybrid of harnessing both Newcastle Hospitals Charity and CPD funding.

“By backfilling 50% of Nicola’s clinical role, the RDI has created the necessary capacity for her to carry out her doctoral studies whilst remaining firmly embedded in clinical practice and advancing further as a highly skilled nurse.

“Considering pain management pathways for patients following major trauma will be a significant and influential piece of work and we look forward to hearing more about Nicola’s findings throughout the duration of her studies. Congratulations on your Fellowship Nicola!”