Sharon Hamilton

Dr Sharon Hamilton, Reader in Nursing, Teesside University
Email: Sharon.hamilton@tees.ac.uk

Chair of the RCN Northern Region RCN Research Society

Background

I qualified as a registered nurse at University College Hospital London and then worked clinically in neurosciences nursing.  After some years of working in acute neurosurgical units I undertook a degree in social sciences and research methods.  This led me into a new role as a researcher in a public health department.  After undertaking a Masters degree in social policy I was appointed to a research role in the director of nursing’s department in an acute Trust in London.  While there I undertook a doctorate in the implementation of best practice in multidisciplinary, acute stroke patient assessment.  After completing the doctorate I was appointed to a new post as Head of Nursing Research across two acute Trusts and a university.  This was a challenging role but offered a great opportunity to support clinical staff to engage with research and consider how research evidence can inform their practice.

Current role

I currently lead two research programmes in the Health and Social Care Research Institute at Teesside University:  one is focused on neurological conditions, including stroke and particularly the patient and carer experiences; and the other programme is a portfolio of studies that evaluate a range of innovative services and roles within the health and social care sectors.

Research interests

My research interests focus around the patient and carer experiences of illness and services.  I use qualitative methods for the majority of my research studies as the research questions that particularly interest me are best answered with methods that facilitate the patient and carer voice.  Examples of completed studies include ‘An evaluation of a nurse-led home alcohol detoxification programme’; ‘An evaluation of a new stop smoking service in an acute Trust’, and ‘The acutely ill patient: an intervention to improve outcomes’.

I also undertake systematic reviews of the literature and have competed reviews on: ‘The psychological and emotional issues affecting people of working age who have had a stroke, and their carers’; and ‘Nutritional interventions for improving nutritional status and outcomes of stroke patients’.

Institutional biography: http://www.tees.ac.uk/schools/soh/staff_profile_details.cfm?staffprofileid=U0022292