Three national strategies to build nursing, midwifery and allied health professionals' research capacity and capability

Research led by nurses, midwives and allied health professionals has welldocumented positive effects for patients, staff and organisations. Significant gaps remain, however, between the generation and the implementation of research evidence. In this context, three national research-focused strategic plans have been launched in recent years, representing all nurses, midwives and allied health professions between them. This article is intended to aid awareness of the three strategies, while promoting their translation into practice in a synergised way. Thematic synthesis was used to analyse and compare the aims and aspirations of the three documents. Four themes were generated: linking research to practice; equal access to research opportunities; celebrating research and raising awareness; and research leadership and influencing. This synthesis demonstrates and explores several similarities and shared intentions in the research strategies, and shows how they provide a catalyst to take nurses, midwives and allied health professionals' research capacity-building to the next level.