Improving knowledge sharing in urgent care

Research and healthcare are better when researchers are able to share knowledge and communicate effectively with patients, doctors, nurses and health service managers. Working like this can make research more useful and services better for patients. This is called ‘co-production’, which is the ideal way to develop research and healthcare services.

But this isn’t happening as often as it could. This may be because researchers, patients and NHS staff lack the confidence and skills to talk to each other and share knowledge effectively across cultural and organisational divides. However, with the right skills and the confidence that comes from working across these divides, these problems can be overcome.

Urgent care is often under great pressure due to high demand and would benefit from sharing knowledge better to improve the service. It is also important because it takes the largest slice of healthcare budgets. Effective research is essential in this setting, to help services cope with demand and improve care for patients.

This study is about developing training from those who are already co-producing research and knowledge effectively in urgent care, to help others do the same. It is also known as ‘TICKLISH: Training in the co-production of knowledge – looking at interactions in urgent healthcare’. It is part of REACH: Research in emergency care, Avon collaborative hub, a regional collaborative hub in emergency care research led by co-directors from the University of the West of England and the University of Bristol.