Comment

Comment The paper by Simmons in the ‘Research and review’ section of this issue of Practice Development in Health Care, features one of the more critical yet poorly understood aspects of practice development work, that of the role of ‘facilitation’, and we are provided us with an analysis of the role of ‘facilitation’ and its various manifestations. More than anything, this issue of the journal draws our attention to the part that facilitation plays in developing practice, and serves to highlight that practice development is about working with colleagues. Sometimes the emphasis is on the role of leader, sometimes alongside them in the guise of a critical friend. But, practice development is fundamentally a social activity. ‘Facilitation’ is required to reconcile the systematic approaches demanded by research and evaluation activity, and the imple- mentation of evidence, with the more ‘political’ processes of creating change in staff groups and in organizations. To ignore the social component of developing practice would unquestioningly compromise the impact that we need to have if we are to progress services successfully towards better meeting the needs of the population. Charlotte Clarke Associate Editor Professor of Nursing Practice Development Research Associate Dean (Research), School of Health, Community & Education Studies Northumbria University UK 35 ? Research and review Practice Development in Health Care, 3(1) 35–35, 2004 © Whurr Publishers Ltd

Upload
charlotte-clarke
Category

Documents
view
212
download
0

Embed Size (px):

Transcript of Comment

More than anything, this issue of the journal draws our attention to the partthat facilitation plays in developing practice, and serves to highlight that practicedevelopment is about working with colleagues. Sometimes the emphasis is on the roleof leader, sometimes alongside them in the guise of a critical friend. But, practice devel-opment is fundamentally a social activity. ‘Facilitation’ is required to reconcile thesystematic approaches demanded by research and evaluation activity, and the imple-mentation of evidence, with the more ‘political’ processes of creating change in staffgroups and in organizations. To ignore the social component of developing practicewould unquestioningly compromise the impact that we need to have if we are toprogress services successfully towards better meeting the needs of the population.

Charlotte ClarkeAssociate Editor

Professor of Nursing Practice Development ResearchAssociate Dean (Research), School of Health, Community & Education Studies

Northumbria UniversityUK

?Research and review

Practice Development in Health Care, 3(1) 35–35, 2004 © Whurr Publishers Ltd

PDHC 3.1_CRC. 4/8/04 1:26 PM Page 35