Stroke care researcher Sandy Middleton on what inspires her

When and why did you develop an interest in research?

I was working as a sister in the intensive care unit at Brompton Hospital, London and became interested in processes of nursing care and their effect on patient outcomes. Subsequently, I worked as a clinical audit assistant on one of the first hospital-wide audit projects in the UK and gained valuable experience about a rigorous audit and how to use data to drive clinical practice improvement. My move into research came when I enrolled on a nursing research master’s degree course, which was cemented by completing a PhD.