WISH announces two new nursing research grants

The World Innovation Summit for Health, (WISH) has announced two new nursing research grants during its participation at the International Council of Nurses 2021 Congress.Speaking at a session titled ‘Nursing-led Research: A Call to Action’, Sultana Afdhal, CEO of WISH, unveiled the opportunity for nurses to win one of two nursing-led research grants, with a value of $5000 each.Funded by WISH and open to entries from around the world, the grants will be awarded to projects that address themes including sustainability, disability, and health in a post-Covid world. One grant will be dedicated to a research project conducted in Arabic. The session explored the role of nurses in research, who are now at the forefront of leveraging innovative solutions and leading interdisciplinary teams, and looked at the obstacles they face as well as the emerging opportunities available to them.Speakers included Dr Deborah White, dean and professor at University of Calgary in Qatar; Prof Rowaida al-Maaitah, professor at the Faculty of Nursing at Jordan University of Science and Technology; Prof Lisa Bayliss-Pratt, pro-vice chancellor at Coventry University and programme director for the Nursing Now Challenge; and Jeannine Blake, intensive care nurse and PHD candidate at University of Massachusetts Amherst.Afdhal commented: “Covid-19 has highlighted how integral nurses are to creating resilient healthcare ecosystems, and clinical research is an important part of this. At WISH, we have long championed the role of nurses through our multiple initiatives, including the launch of the Nursing Now Challenge Qatar Chapter and our Young Nursing Leaders Programme. As we have heard at ICN 2021, it is vital that nurses are given a place at the decision-making table, are listened to and trusted to lead, particularly in the area of research. "The ICN 2021 Congress is the largest gathering of nurses from across the world in 2021. A fully virtual conference, this year’s event explores the theme of “Nursing Around the World”, and will include the latest research, trends and priorities in nursing, as well as a look ahead to the future of healthcare in a post-pandemic world. This year, WISH ran two global solutions initiatives in collaboration with the Nursing Now Challenge, which focused on the role of nurses in tackling the climate crisis and driving digital innovation to improve care. The winners were announced in October, with one being granted to a group of nurses named “GalesActGreen”, who created a movement by building a wide network of climate literate nurses to serve as change agents by creating awareness of the impacts of climate change on health. Lucía Fernández-Miranda Frías, a nurse since 2016, won the second prize for a project which focuses on the use of Virtual Reality Glasses for adults in the Intensive Care Unit at the University Clinic of Navarra in Madrid, in order to reduce stress symptoms like pain, anxiety, delirium and fear that patients frequently present in this area.