NE HEALTH BUREAU
CHENNAI, OCT 31
Nursing must go beyond administering treatment to understanding the emotions, suffering and lived experiences of patients, Dr. R. Shankar Shanmugam, Registrar of the Tamil Nadu Nurses & Midwives Council and Principal of the Tamil Nadu Government Institute of Advanced Nursing Science and Research, said while inaugurating a national nursing conference at Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research (SRIHER) in Chennai on Saturday.
- 600-plus delegates attend SRIHER’s national nursing conference, with participants joining online from more than 12 countries
- ‘Insights 2026’ puts qualitative research in focus, highlighting the human experiences behind illness and recovery
- Patient dignity, confidentiality and informed consent are underscored as non-negotiable ethical pillars of research
- Research with clinical relevance takes centre stage, alongside a renewed push for indexed publications
The conference, Insights 2026, centred on the theme ‘Exploring Experiences through Qualitative Research’ and brought together postgraduate nursing students, research scholars, faculty members and nursing practitioners to examine how qualitative research can deepen understanding of patient experiences and inform nursing practice.
More than 600 participants from 25 states attended the conference. The hybrid format also enabled participation from over 12 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Ethiopia.
Dr. Shanmugam urged research scholars to develop critical-thinking skills and view research not as a mere academic requirement, but as an essential instrument for improving patient care. He emphasised that qualitative research must be conducted with integrity, safeguarding patient dignity and confidentiality, obtaining informed consent and representing participants’ experiences truthfully.
His message placed the human dimension of healthcare at the heart of the discussions: listening carefully to patients can help nursing professionals understand concerns and experiences that clinical measurements alone may not fully capture.
Research must translate into better care
Delivering the keynote address, Dr. K. Balaji Singh, Dean of the Medical College, highlighted the institution’s research output, stating that Sri Ramachandra Medical College had exceeded 1,212 publications. He said the institution continued to encourage faculty members and students to publish in indexed journals.
The emphasis on research aligns with SRIHER’s academic focus on nursing research and evidence-based practice. The institute’s official academic information describes nursing research as a means of undertaking need-based studies and applying findings to improve the quality of nursing care.
Dr. C. Ramesh, Head of Department, Nursing College, announced plans to facilitate the publication of more than 150 papers in Web of Science-indexed publications at a nominal fee. The initiative, as outlined at the conference, sought to encourage research dissemination and strengthen the academic profile of nursing professionals.
Experts share research perspectives
The conference featured resource persons from nursing education, clinical practice, community medicine and epidemiology. They included Dr. Latha T, Principal, College of Nursing, AIIMS Bibinagar, Telangana; Dr. Sona Priyanka A, Research Fellow, National Institute of Epidemiology, ICMR; Dr. Amol Dongre, Professor, Department of Community Medicine, Sri Manakula Vinayagar Medical College, Puducherry; Dr. Asha Solomon, Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing, CMC Vellore; and Dr. Manoranjitham S., Adjunct Faculty, College of Nursing, CMC Vellore.
They shared their expertise and perspectives with delegates, contributing to discussions on research approaches and their relevance to nursing education and healthcare practice.
Dr. S.J. Nalini, Principal, Sri Ramachandra Faculty of Nursing, Dr. A. Seethalakshmi, Professor, Faculty of Nursing, and other faculty members attended the event.
The larger takeaway from Insights 2026 was clear: research gains its real value when academic rigour meets human understanding—and when the voices of patients help shape the care they receive.