Workforce Challenges for Rural and Remote Northern Territory Nursing and Midwifery Workforce: Establishing an Action-oriented Research Culture to Improve Workforce Outcomes

Background: Theidea of an action-oriented workforce research culture is to engage nurses andmidwives in research around workforce issues. Policy efforts to address thecontinuing challenges of workforce shortages and high levels of staff turnoverin remote regions such as the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia may benefitfrom the involvement of nurses and midwives themselves in both formulating the'problems' and suggesting responses. While this approach is common in clinicalresearch, little attention has been paid to engaging nurses and midwives inconducting workforce research.

Methods: Thispaper reports findings from a qualitative study. Data were collected usingsemi-structured interviews with a sample of NT nurses (24), midwives (3) andtheir managers (18). Data analysis was undertaken using the concept of groundedtheory.

Results: Fourtrends emerged from the collected data: (i) interview participants identified arange of workforce-related challenges and expressed interest in researchingthese issues; (ii) clinical and cultural research questions were of equal importance;(iii) there was a perceived lack of organisational support aroundpractitioner-led research; and (iv) growing local research capacity was believedto have potential in identifying new and innovative insights into old and longstanding workforce ( as well as clinical and cultural) challenges specific toremote jurisdictions.

Conclusion: Buildingworkforce research capacity in the context of short-staffed, highly diverse andtransient workplaces such as the nursing and midwifery workforce of the NTrequires extensive organisational support structures. The concepts of organisationalknowledge creation and organisational learning may assist health carefacilities in building research capacity, and facilitating the engagement ofpractitioners in workforce research.