The answers to nagging health care problems can often be close at hand, which is being proven through research undertaken at Flinders University by an increasing number of clinical nurses – making a difference to both clinical staff and patients. 

Professor Tiffany Conroy is the Lead of Fundamental Care at Flinders’ Caring Futures Institute, and she also holds a joint appointment as the Director of Nursing and Midwifery Research at the Southern Adelaide Local Health Network (SALHN), a role that is helping to embed more research in the clinical setting at SALHN.  

By initiating more practise-led research with experienced clinicians who have established themselves as experts in their field, Professor Conroy is helping to develop a very clear picture of pressing issues and putting nurse researchers into a position where they can investigate and find solutions. 

“It’s a bit like being a matchmaker,” explains Professor Conroy with a smile. “Previously, I don’t think a lot of clinicians knew where to start with research projects, so just having me on-site in this role means we can get together and chat about their ideas and refine those thoughts so they take shape as serious research projects. 

“It’s very rewarding for me to see these ideas take sharp focus. They come to me firstly with stories – and clinicians are very good at shaping stories from what they’ve seen, done and experienced – before focussing on specific groups of people that we are able to help.  

“We take steps to investigate what is already known about these issues and subjects, and identify the key aspects that remain unknown. As a consequence, we are seeing very practical things being investigated.” 

The effectiveness of this research is also due to careful consideration about the feasibility of what is being investigated, and its likely outcomes. “It’s no good trying to tackle something so enormous that it’s not doable. It can’t be something that sits outside the clinical nurses’ work area; the research has to be seen to benefit those areas, and this is where it will be immediately and easily applied.” 

Professor Conroy’s role has been to discuss core ideas and consider how they can become achievable research, connecting the researchers to an appropriate supervisor and build appropriate support so the research can proceed. This encouragement is reaping great rewards, with six nurses enrolled in the Masters of Health and Clinical Research at Flinders in 2025, building their research skills and supporting their career development. 

They are investigating a diverse range of health care questions, including: 

• Amelia Kalogiannis researching the use of Virtual Reality programs to teach professional health workers how best to connect with people who have Dementia.
• Leah Armit looking at improved information to promote smart decisions by parents who take their children with asthma to Emergency Departments.
• Gemma Saville examining better ways of ensuring that prescribed opioids for pain relief are used by people following hip or knee replacements. 

“This is an important area of post-operative rehabilitation, because many people are reticent and not confident to take opioid pain relief,” explains Professor Conroy.  

“They may not be receiving enough information about how much of this pain relief they should take, and when. Because of this, too many patients are scared to take opioids, thinking they will either get addicted to them, or collapse from being drowsy. They therefore remain in pain, and don’t participate in necessary rehabilitation because they aren’t moving properly due to their soreness.  

“We need to provide the right guidance, to maximise their pain relief and minimise the adverse effects, so they can recover quicker.” 

Professor Conroy is delighted that her interaction with HDR researchers is helping to facilitate rapid knowledge generation and translation, while maximising funding opportunities and building closer working relationships with clinical and community partners.  

“It’s strengthening the nexus of research, education and practice that ultimately improves patient care and outcomes.” 

Professor Conroy’s joint-appointment is one of three such positions hosted between Flinders University and SALHN – along with Professor Kate Laver (Allied Health and Rehabilitation) and Dr Suzanne Dawson (Mental Health Division). These positions are in addition to a further seven joint-appointments Flinders has across CALHN, NALHN, Adelaide Primary Health Network and Preventative Health SA. 

“I’m delighted that all this activity puts paid to any notion that clinicians aren’t interested in pursuing research,” says Professor Conroy. “More clinical nurses are contacting me to initiate this process, because they have a will and determination to pursue the investigation of things that will make a real difference in health and care. 

“These are really practical areas that will be used every day in health care.”