PROMOTING A RESEARCH-CENTRIC NEONATAL UNIT

Published on Tuesday, 05 May 2026

WHY IS NEONATAL RESEARCH IMPORTANT?

Past research underpins the care that neonatal units (NNUs) provide today. It has improved clinical care, resulted in advancements in technology and improved neonatal outcomes.

WHY WOULD A RESEARCH-CENTRIC NNU BE IMPORTANT?

In research-active NNUs, staff are often more aware of up-to-date treatments and best practice, and continually refine their skills. Patients also report feeling better informed about their condition and medication (Jonker, Fisher and Dagnan, 2020). This environment can lead to greater job satisfaction and a stronger profile within the medical field, helping to attract skilled clinicians. Research promotes an enquiring mindset and a drive for excellence, benefiting both staff and patients alike.

HOW COULD YOU ACHIEVE THIS?

The aim is to embed clinical research into everyday care in an NNU to make it the 'norm'. I believe this starts with empowering all NNU staff to be involved in research, staff of all grades, from students to consultants, and all allied health professionals.

EMPOWER – Enthusiasm

Enthusiasm, it's like a smile; it's infectious and makes others want to join in. It encourages staff and families to ask why and how, and allows you the opportunity to share. It's a positive, energising feeling and encourages participation and engagement. An enthusiastic researcher helps maintain focus when challenges arise, helping to create a sense of purpose and motivation.

EMPOWER – Maintain communication

Effective and continuous communication is essential. Make sure goals and expectations are communicated clearly and often so that the team can work towards the same goal. If possible, try and regularly join in a nurse or doctor's huddle or ward round. Maybe introduce a research briefing at the end of the meeting to give updates or to make sure all staff are aware of who needs consenting etc. Some sites have implemented a research section to their nursing handover sheet to enable effective communication of tasks and to keep research on the radar. If this isn't possible, you may need to find other ways to update everyone that work for your Unit, such as newsletters, emails, WhatsApp groups. Effective, ongoing communication is going to make your job easier in the long run.

Communication between research staff and clinical staff isn't the only important link, it is also about communication between staff and parents. Visibility of staff and the studies on the Unit will be important to them to help them acknowledge the normalcy of research as part of the care given. Many sites will talk to parents in the first few days or even ideally antenatally to say 'This is a research-active unit, someone will talk to you about research at some point during your stay and how you may be involved.' This immediately sets it as a positive experience and paves the way for future conversations. Be positive about research rather than thinking you are a nuisance - remember you are giving parents options and information that they may not otherwise know about. Deciding whether to participate in research or not might be giving parents the only decision that they have any control over during a time of uncertainty.

EMPOWER – Promote

Following on from communication and visibility, research needs to be highlighted and displayed on the Unit as much as possible - not easy when wall space is at a premium and infection prevention prohibits some formats. You can be provided with wipeable posters, banners etc. but each Unit will need to think about where best to place them to be effective. It is very easy to overload with information. Be creative, maybe rotate posters and banners to keep interest fresh. Badges, either study specific or, I think even better, a badge that says 'Ask me about research' would be great. Another idea for promotion is to have a research section on the Unit's website or on Unit leaflets which would emphasise the fact that the Unit wants research to be considered the 'norm'. Post on all social media platforms about current research studies. Ask parents' permission to highlight their story and their feedback and display this on the research board or websites. A research-centric NNU is all about making research accepted and embedded as part of routine care. One positive aspect that came out of the COVID pandemic, was that research studies were prominently advertised, people became a lot more aware and research became important so let's build on this momentum.

EMPOWER – Ownership

Ownership of a study or a role within a study is a powerful tool in a research-centric NNU. If staff are engaged as research champions, or develop link roles or, even more, official roles such as Associate Principal Investigator (Associate Principal Investigator Scheme | NIHR) then the benefits to the site and the study can be huge. It will promote increased productivity, skill development and job satisfaction, and staff will feel valued. This in turn will lead to better study compliance and robust data collection which is pivotal for any study.

EMPOWER – Working together

'Working together' is one of the values in most Trusts' mission statements and is equally true for promoting a research driven Unit. It can involve everyone from students to consultants and includes all Allied Health Professionals. I have already mentioned ways of promoting teamwork at your site but it is just as important to foster links between other local and national sites. Get to know who the research counterparts are in your local Units and have regular catch-ups. It's an opportunity to support one another and share ideas and best practice which will benefit everyone. It is particularly beneficial when you transfer participants between sites, which happens regularly. This enables the participants' journey through the study to continue without any interruptions and then means the data collected is robust and complete and there is continuity for parents. Good communication between sites and the clinical trial unit research teams is also essential so that they know how best to support you – we are all working towards the same goal.

EMPOWER – Education

To get the research word out, continued education and updates are essential. New staff induction is the perfect place to start – if possible, have a research session added to the induction programme for all new staff or on staff development days. You might be able to include some study specific training and get everyone on the delegation log at one sitting which would save you no end of time. Or even get staff's GCP certification done. It's all beneficial for continued professional development. Whatever works for you means you can get things off to a positive start.

I am very keen to promote developing the research nurse role by encouraging research nurses to think about acting as Co-Principal Investigator or Principal Investigator. It isn't just for doctors and some studies lend themselves to being nurse-led. Encourage Advanced Neonatal Nurse Practitioners and Clinicians to enrol on the Associate –Principal Investigator training scheme run by the NIHR. Promote the research team to attend conferences - it's a great way to network and learn about upcoming studies as well as updates on past studies. Go one step further and attend Patient and Public Involvement events or community outreach events that some trusts provide. Public awareness is vital for successful studies. There are so many ways to increase public awareness, that I have even talked at my child's school about childhood vaccine studies – never too young to raise awareness of research.

EMPOWER – Reward and Recognition

Lastly, reward and recognition, probably one of the most important aspects of empowerment. We all love a pat on the back for a job well done not to mention, pens, mugs or certificates. It makes us want to do even better. I'm sure we all like league tables and often have a sneaky look at recruitment tables to see how we compare to neighboring trusts. There is nothing wrong with a bit of healthy competition. Every site will be different due to geography, population and staffing so bear that in mind. Go ahead and celebrate and share success but make it meaningful. A success of recruiting 1 participant in a study that is difficult to recruit to is just as meaningful as recruiting 20 to an easier recruiting study. Ask for feedback from staff and parents – this will enable you to continuously strive to improve. If possible, highlight family stories– add to social media, promote in the parent's coffee room – and feedback to staff. Lastly, always say thank you to staff and parents and carers. It's such a small thing to do but without their help none of the research would be possible.

In conclusion, empower yourself and your team to take research at your site to the next level and watch the results.