"So what"?
Apart from being the title of a superb piece recorded by the Miles Davis Quintet it is the acid test of many a critical reader of research papers. Nowhere is that more true than in the world of mental health nursing research. Now I know many people can discuss research methods in a passionate and frankly frighteningly intensity, but to many readers of a more casual (or practical ) ilk it's the findings they care about.
Many will wonder about how long until this finding will drizzle down to the realities of practice, or indeed find it's way into policy.
There will of course be those who just evoke the "so what" response and move on..
This question of relevance became all the clearer at the Network for Psychiatric Nursing Research conference in Oxford in September. It was a rousing success and well attended . Delegates were present from over 20 countries, and more PhD's present than you could shake a stick at.
The opening adress was in the form of a conversation between Professor Alan Simpson and that venerable sage Professor Peter Nolan. Now Peter is a raconteur that always manages to leave you wanting more, he has a wealth of stories, views and perspectives that have come from a long (sorry Peter) and thoughtful life.He was fascinating to listen to but possibly kept his final and most challenging thought until last.
I am paraphrasing rather badly here, but essentially he asked when will researchers in the field of mental health start utilising thier skills to ask questions that really matter. Projects , he mused, may be fascinating and personally rewarding ; but where was their relevance to the users of the services provided.
An eloquent "So what" , that challenged those present and perhaps the wider community to consider how they could use their knowledge to achieve outcomes that would hold real meaning and relevance to those living lives challenged by poor mental health.
Perhaps a challenge for research agendas that are challenging and radical.
Perhpas an era of findings that cannot be dismissed with a cynical "so what".
