P-72 Building research capacity to address the public health need for palliative care

Background The growing demand to address significant public health issues such as ageing populations, changing patterns of chronic diseases, individuals living longer with life-limiting conditions and so on increases the pressure on researchers to produce high quality, clinically relevant, innovative palliative care research so as to improve the quality of life for service users and carers. Aim All Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care (AIIHPC) believes that one way to meet this demand is through research capacity building which is being taken forward via the Institute’s Palliative Care Research Network. Method Capacity building is defined as a “process where individuals, groups, networks, organisation and the wider community are encouraged and facilitated in enhancing their knowledge and skills so as to increase their ability to perform innovative and high quality research” (Moley and Seale, 2009). It is a major component of large national and international funding that seek to enhance and develop research expertise and leadership in specific health areas, for example, Irish Health Research Board, Public Health Agency (Northern Ireland), Horizon 2020, Canadian Institutes of Health Research). Conclusion AIIHPC’s Palliative Care Research Network is taking forward a multi-tiered approach to research capacity building ranging from awareness-raising of research, to providing more extensive support to those who want to progress elements of palliative care research, to providing tailored support and leadership opportunities for more advanced researchers.