Professional development of nurses through participatory action research: a focus group study

Abstract

Retaining nurses requires investment in professional development opportunities. Care Innovation Centres aim to integrate learning, innovation, and research within clinical practice. Participatory action research may offer a promising approach to foster nurses’ professional development, yet evidence from hospital settings remains limited. This focus group study aimed to explore nurses’ perceptions of the impact of participating in a participatory action research-inspired improvement project on their professional development in a hospital setting, and to identify factors that promote or impede this process. A qualitative descriptive study using three semi-structured focus groups was conducted to explore nurses’ perceptions following participation in a practice improvement project. The improvement project used participatory action research-inspired activities; the present study is a researcher‑led qualitative focus group study of nurses’ experiences of that project, and its data collection and analysis did not follow a participatory action research design. Seventeen themes were identified and clustered into five higher‑order themes: perceived professional development (feedback skills, research literacy, reflective capacities, personal development, and subtle professional shifts), individual enablers, social and pedagogical enablers, organisational enablers and practice application, and barriers to development. Participation in a practice improvement project, using participatory action research-inspired activities, was associated with multi‑faceted professional development among nurses, particularly when organisational structures supported protected time, clear goals and continuity. Findings support embedding practice‑based learning opportunities within clinical settings, but highlight the need for leadership support and process clarity to sustain engagement. This paper reports the focus group study only; the participatory action research-inspired improvement process itself is described elsewhere.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. BMC Nursing, 2026 · DOI ↗