This month UWE Bristol’s Dr. Nikki Cotterill, Associate Professor in Continence Care, Continence Lead for North Bristol NHS Trust, and BABCON HIT Director succeeded at having two of her studies selected for inclusion in the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) England’s new Research portfolio summary. Dr Cotterill’s studies were the only inclusions from the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) area out of 46 studies demonstrating the breadth and value of nursing research during the pandemic.
Nursing research matters: learning from COVID-19 aims to increase knowledge of nurse-led research in response to Covid-19, inspire other nurse researchers and promote pride in what nursing has achieved through research leadership and its impact. Finally the portfolio will underpin future plans for research and priorities addressing consequences of Covid-19.
The two studies included were conducted under the auspices of the BABCON Health Integration Team, that Dr Cotterill is the Director for, as part of Bristol Health Partners Academic Health Science Centre.
The first study Exploring Perspectives of the Impact on Continence Care of COVID-19 (EPICCC-19) – looks at the changes that have been made to community continence services because of COVID-19. Researchers are surveying healthcare providers working in those services to find out what advantages and disadvantages for continence care they have seen from these changes. The study is funded by the Elizabeth Blackwell Institute at the University of Bristol and NIHR ARC West, and collaborators include ERIC: the Children’s Bowel and Bladder Charity, and Bladder and Bowel UK.
The second study included in the Portfolio explores users’ perspectives of bladder and bowel services since changes were made due to COVID-19, and also examines wider issues such as the impact of public toilet closures during the pandemic. This is a collaborative study with Healthwatch Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire and the Bristol Urological Institute, North Bristol NHS Trust. Both studies are due to report during the summer and are intended to inform policy and decision making for service recovery and future service innovation.
Dr Nikki Cotterill said:
“I’m delighted for our research to be included in this prestigious collection alongside peers conducting high quality research in healthcare, showcasing the contribution nursing research can make for the benefit of patients and raising the profile of bladder and bowel care.”
