MAKING RESEARCH MATTER

Steps to Impact for Health and

Care Researchers
Tara Lamont

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 First published in Great Britain in 2021 by

Policy Press, an imprint of

Bristol University Press
University of Bristol
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© Tara Lamont 2021

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ISBN 978-​1-​4473-​6116-​9 OA ePub
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It is curious that people should think a report self-​

executive, should not see that, when the report is
finished, the work begins.

Florence Nightingale, letter to

Mary Elizabeth Herbert (1863)

Evidence does not speak for itself, but needs to be

mobilised at the right time, and through the right
people, to make a difference in decision-​making.

Swan et al, Evidence in

Management Decisions, 2012

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 Contents

List of figures and boxes vi

List of interviews viii
Acknowledgements ix

1 Introducing this book 1

2 WHY researchers should spend time on this 11
3 WHAT counts as evidence 25
4 WHO you want to reach –​practitioners 41
5 WHO you want to reach –​patients, public, 63
service users
6 WHO you want to reach –​policymakers 84
and managers
7 WHEN you could have most impact 104
8 HOW to reach people –​use of stories and 114
the media
9 HOW to reach people –​finding the right 138
language and style
10 Last thoughts 159

Notes 167
Further reading 169
References 174
Index 195

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 List of figures and boxes

Figures

1.1 Cartoon –​then a miracle occurs 3

3.1 Stakeholders rating research on specialist 39
palliative care
4.1 Working with partner organisations 56
5.1 Testing displays of data for parents of children 66
undergoing heart surgery
5.2 Comic book bringing to life research on weight 70
and stigma
5.3 Service users making sense of research 74
5.4 Patient experiences vignettes to illustrate research 78
5.5 Easy-​read version of research on learning 80
disability services
6.1 Prioritising engagement activity according to the 97
evidence –​what works in research use
8.1 Twitter as a source of creativity 129
8.2 Use of infographics 136

Boxes

2.1 Five steps for better engagement 21

3.1 Research ­example –​social prescribing 26
3.2 Research ­example –​protective clothing 30
3.3 Interview –​Ghazala Mir 32
3.4 Involving end users in finding research which matters 38
4.1 Research ­examples –​research which changes practice 42
4.2 Interview –​Eileen Shepherd 44
4.3 Interview –​Elaine Maxwell 47
4.4 Using practitioner quotes and insights 52
4.5 Interview –​Sui Ting Kong 53

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 List of figures and boxes

4.6 Interview –​Godfred Boahen 55

4.7 Interview –​ Teresa Chinn 58
4.8 Interview –​Jack Chew 60
5.1 Research ­example –​use of emergency services 64
5.2 Research ­example –​how parents understand risk 67
5.3 Research ­example –​understanding obesity 68
5.4 Interview –​Sally Crowe 71
5.5 Interview –​Peter Beresford 75
6.1 Research ­example –​talking therapies 85
6.2 Research ­example –​safer staffing 87
6.3 Interview –​Peter Griffiths 88
6.4 Interview –​Paul Cairney 89
6.5 Interview –​Nancy Hey 94
6.6 Briefings for politicians 99
6.7 Tips for researchers to influence policy 101
7.1 Research ­example –​stroke configuration 107
7.2 Research ­example –​home oximetry monitoring 108
7.3 Interview –​Naomi Fulop 109
7.4 Research ­example –​sharing emerging evidence 110
on Long COVID
8.1 Interview –​Shaun Lintern 115
8.2 Research ­example –​air quality 122
8.3 Interview –​ Clint Witchalls 125
8.4 Research ­example –​understanding inpatients 132
with dementia
9.1 Plain language summaries –​two examples 142
9.2 Writing for impact –​key features 146
9.3 Titles which pull readers in 147
9.4 Summary headlines –​from academic to journalistic 150
9.5 Research ­example –​green spaces 151

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 List of interviews

Ghazala Mir, researcher on health and social inequalities

Eileen Shepherd, clinical editor, Nursing Times
Elaine Maxwell, nurse and research engagement lead
Teresa Chinn, nurse and social media specialist, founder
@WeNurses
Jack Chew, physiotherapist and founder, Physio Matters podcast
Godfred Boahen, social work practice and research lead
Sui Ting Kong, researcher on social work and practitioner
research lead
Sally Crowe, patient and public involvement lead in healthcare
and research
Peter Beresford, service user and researcher in mental health
and disability
Peter Griffiths, researcher on healthcare workforce
Paul Cairney, researcher on politics and public policy
Nancy Hey, director of the What Works Wellbeing Centre
Naomi Fulop, researcher in healthcare organisation
and management
Shaun Lintern, health correspondent, The Independent
Clint Witchalls, health and medicine editor, The Conversation

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newgenprepdf

Acknowledgements

This book is dedicated to Linda Lamont, for her long support

for health services and the stories that lie behind.
My thanks to the named interviewees and research contributors
in this book whose insights and commitment to getting evidence
used shine through.
I am also grateful to Philippa Grand and colleagues at Policy
Press for steering this work so skilfully and to the anonymous
reviewers who strengthened this book from early drafts.
My thanks to Kate Searle for help with images and general
communications know-​how.
For stimulus and support on all matters research and engagement
over the years, my particular thanks to:
Elaine Maxwell (and then some), Matt Westmore, Andree Le
May, John Gabbay, Steph Garfield-​Birkbeck, Ruairidh Milne,
Frances Healey, Beverley Fitzsimons, Liz Mear, Annette Boaz,
Helen Mthiyane, Kieran Walshe, Judith Smith, Naomi Fulop,
Jo Rycroft-​Malone, Robbie Foy, Huw Davies, Martin Roland,
Jane Ball, Carl Macrae, Sarah Scobie, Richard Thomson, Tansy
Evans, Peter Davidson, Alison Ford, Rob Squire, Rob Cook,
Eugenia Cronin, Dez Holmes, Louise Wallace, Sally Redman
and Elaine Williams.

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