Research
Within the School of Nursing and Midwifery our area of strength is health innovation through co-design and rigorous evaluation of health promoting and healthcare interventions with policymakers, practice partners, patients and carers. Within the School we have two core (Maternal and Child Health; Chronic Illness and Palliative Care) and one emerging (Education and Practice) innovative research themes, which encapsulate lifespan health research from conception to end-of-life.
RESEARCH AREAS
in the UK for organisation and management (Children's Nursing)
NSS 2023in the UK for Career Prospects for Midwifery
Guardian University Guide 2024in the UK for research quality in Nursing
Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024- Our research is funded from the European Commission under Interreg and Horizon 2020, large charities such as Alzheimer’s Society, Dunhill Trust, Marie Curie, Movember Cancer Research United Kingdom, Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke as well as the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), the Medical Research Council (MRC), the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Newton Fund, the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF), and the Health and Social Care, Research and Development Division, Public Health Agency (PHA) of Northern Ireland.
- The success of our research depends on the meaningful and long-term partnerships we have developed with a range of key stakeholders, including practice and patient public involvement. In continuing to work with our key stakeholders at all stages of the research process we aim to ensure that the research conducted within the School is relevant and will lead to changes that improve healthcare outcomes for our society.
Professor Joanne Reid, Director of Research
“Visualising the Voices of Nursing: A Co-Designed Video's Impact on Understanding Nurses' COVID-19 Experiences
A collaborative project between QUB, KCL and RCN NI
Nurses were at the forefront of managing the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, Royal College of Nursing in Northern Ireland commissioned a longitudinal qualitative survey using the Cognitive Edge SenseMaker® tool to capture nurses' experiences of delivering care from April 2020 to March 2021. The aim of this work was to explore the impact of a co-designed video based on verbatim narrative of the lived experience of nurses in Northern Ireland during the 2020/2021 global pandemic. Results will be posted soon. For further info contact Professor Joanne Reid j.reid@qub.ac.uk
This work has been kindly supported by QUB Engaged Research Seed Fund”
The School of Nursing and Midwifery has worked in close collaboration with Marie Curie and the School hosts one of four Marie Curie senior research fellows throughout the United Kingdom. This is a joint post between the School of Nursing and Midwifery and Marie Curie Hospice Belfast which aims to address important issues in palliative and end-of-life care. It also supports capacity building in palliative care and end-of-life research.
In 2020 the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Queen’s University Belfast and Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU) in Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC) formed a novel college of Nursing and Midwifery. The college currently offers MSc programs in Cardiovascular and Paediatric nursing - Read more here: College of Nursing and Midwifery - MBRU
We have an expanding group of postdoctoral researchers from a variety of applied health discipline backgrounds who contribute to a diversity of multidisciplinary research across our School. Meet our Postdoctoral Research Fellows.
We have a vibrant and growing community of postgraduate research students from a number of countries including Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Kurdistan, Indonesia, Oman, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Kuwait.
The School of Nursing and Midwifery has a regular program of local, national and international seminar events which invite participation from a range of audiences including service users, charity representatives, healthcare staff, academic staff and post-graduate research students. Additionally, staff within the School lead the International Network of Doctoral Education in Nursing (INDEN) global classrooms, bringing together doctoral nursing students from across the globe.
Latest Publications
Development and evaluation of a bilingual digital dementia awareness game for the Singapore population
- Elaine Kee Chen Siow
- Peter Kay Chai Tay
- Steph Craig
- Tara Anderson
- Gary Mitchell
- Christine Brown Wilson
A co-designed digital educational intervention to reduce restrictive practices in dementia care homes
8 October 2025Evaluation of a dementia awareness game for allied health professional students in United Kingdom and Ireland: a Pre-/Post-Test study
- Elizabeth Henderson
- Tara Anderson
- Gary Mitchell
- Tommy Dickinson
- Jane Murray
- Mark Jayes
- Steph Craig
- Patrick Stark
- Heather Barry
- Elaine Nelson
- Rebecca Townsend
- Dympna Tuohy
- Ellie Lynch
- Christine Brown Wilson
Development and testing of search strategies and extraction matrices for a human rights-based international documentary analysis of dementia legislation and policies
- Silvia Gonella
- Katarzyna Szczerbińska
- Natalia Drapała
- Caroline Dalton
- Siobhan Fox
- Nikola Leca
- Karolína Šafaříková
- Catherine Walshe
- Serena Salvi
- Pablo Hernández-Marrero
- Mateja Lopuh
- Jana Mali
- Gary Mitchell
- Steph Craig
- Rieneke Stelma-Roorda
- Brenda van den Broek
Exploring dementia friendly communities in Northern Ireland: Findings from non-participant observations
- Steph Craig
- Gary Mitchell
- Peter O'Halloran
- Patrick Stark
- Christine Brown Wilson
Future research direction in Nursing and Midwifery
- Collaboratively developing and evaluating healthcare innovations together with practice, public and policy partners to deliver transformational improvements in health and healthcare locally and internationally that address major health challenges ensuring our research contributes towards attainment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and is impactful to both policy and practice.
- Developing transdisciplinary health innovations driven through external and university partnerships through the Life and Health Science sectoral strength within the Institute of Research Excellence for Advanced Clinical Healthcare (iREACH).
- Building on our strengths of leading rigorous and policy relevant evidence syntheses in partnership with both Cochrane and Campbell Collaborations and through funded NIHR evidence syntheses.
- Delivering evidence informed innovations and clinical guidelines with local partners, such as the Health Trusts of Northern Ireland, charities such as Marie Curie, as well as international partners, notably the World Health Organization and the European Society of Cardiology.