Review

Academic interests

RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES IN PRIMARY CARE
Yvonne Carter & Cathryn Thomas
Radcliffe Medical Press, 1999, £18.95

At first glance this book is daunting. But perhaps it is timely: many nurses, midwives and health visitors are aware that they should be involved in research and promoting evidence-based practice, but will tell you in the same breath that they do not know what to do next.

Primary care workers often identify something that they would like to ‘look at further’ but are instantly frustrated that funding and time (which also costs money) are not readily available.

So what are the options for someone working in a primary care setting to explore topics of interest academically – and to see their findings published? The editors of this book have invited views on possible ways forward.

The book contains a great deal of useful information on research, profiling, and support at all levels – from writing for a journal to doing a PhD.

But it lacks structure, and although it could help many to open doors and inspire many more to try, a framework which allowed readers to identify where they are (now) and what they felt they could tackle (today) would have helped.