Associate Professor Elizabeth Halcomb
Biography
Associate Professor Liz Halcomb has worked at the University of Western Sydney since 2004. She is currently the Deputy Director of Research in the School of Nursing & Midwifery. Prior to commencing her academic career she worked in a range of acute care settings and clinical research units. Liz was awarded a PhD in 2006 for a mixed method project exploring the general practice nurse role in heart failure. Since that time her teaching and research interests have focussed on general practice nursing, nursing workforce, chronic disease, nurse education and mixed methods research.
Liz has a strong track record of publication, with over 57 peer reviewed papers (h-index 9) and 8 book chapters. She has also co-edited Special Editions of both Advances in Contemporary Nursing and the International Journal of Multiple Research Approaches. Liz has co-edited the text “Mixed methods research for nursing and the health sciences”. Liz is also an active peer reviewer for a number of Australian and International journal and both the NHMRC & ARC.
Since 2007, Liz has received a total of $1.29 million external & $77 659 internal research funding. She is currently a CI on an ARC, ALTC and NHMRC grant.
Liz has experience in supervising both Bachelor of Nursing (Hons) and PhD students to completion. These students have conducted research in the areas of nursing workforce, chronic disease management, family health, models of care delivery and leadership.
Areas of Research/Teaching Expertise
Research Interests
Nursing workforce
General practice nursing
Chronic disease
Cardiovascular disease
Mixed-methods research
Ageing
Evidence-Based Practice/Systematic Reviews
Teaching Interests
Undergraduate research training
Evidence-Based Practice
Post-graduate research supervision
Grants/Current Projects
2010
Consumer satisfaction with general practice nurses
Funding: New Zealand College of Primary Health Care
Chief Investigators: Dr Elizabeth Halcomb & A/Professor Yenna Salamonson
2010
Developing and implementing a leadership capacity building program for teaching and learning in Nursing
Funding: Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC)
Chief Investigators: Dr Elizabeth Halcomb, Professor Debra Jackson, Dr Kath Peters, A/Professor Yenna Salamonson, Dr Sharon Andrew, and Emeritus Professor John Daly (UTS)
2010
Utilisation of practice nurses by General Practitioners from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
Funding: Macarthur Division of General Practice
Chief Investigators: Dr Elizabeth Halcomb & A/Professor Yenna Salamonson
2009
Evaluation of the Practice Nurse Continuing Professional Development program
Funding: Australian Practice Nurses' Association
Chief Investigators: Dr Elizabeth Halcomb & Professor Patricia Davidson
2008
A model of integrated care for dependant older people living in the community
Funding: Australian Research Council Linkage Grant.
Chief Investigators: Dr Elizabeth Halcomb, Professor Rhonda Griffiths and Dr Stewart Sloggett
Linkage Partners: Carrington Centennial Care Ltd., Tunstall Australasia, Schwartz Family Practice
2008
Quit in General Practice: A cluster randomised control trial of enhanced in-practice support for smoking cessation
Funding: National Health and Medical Research Council Research Grant.
Chief Investigators: Professor Nicholas Zwar, Professor Robyn Richmond, Dr Elizabeth Halcomb, Dr John Furler and Dr Julie Smith
2008
Evaluation of chronic disease management by Australian general practice nurses
Funding: University of Western Sydney Grant Scheme Humanities and Social Science.
Chief Investigators: Dr Elizabeth Halcomb, Professor Patricia Davidson and Professor Nicholas Zwar
Sessional Academics Teaching in Nursing
Funding: University of Western Sydney College of Health & Science Research Grant.
Chief Investigators: Dr Elizabeth Halcomb, Professor Debra Jackson, Dr Sharon Andrew, Dr Yenna Salamonson and Dr Kath Peters
2007/8
The development of a clinician-led research agenda for Australian general practice nurses
Funding: University of Western Sydney School of Nursing Research Grant.
Chief Investigators: Dr Elizabeth Halcomb and Ms Louise Hickman
2006/7
The development of a multidisciplinary case conferencing model for residential aged care: A feasibility study
Funding: University of Western Sydney Research Partnership Grant.
Chief Investigators: Professor Rhonda Griffiths and Dr Elizabeth Halcomb
Partners: Carrington Centennial Care Ltd., Macarthur Division of General Practice, Australian Institute of Workplace Learning and Macarthur Health Service
2003
The Australian practice nursing & chronic heart failure study
Funding: University of Western Sydney Research Seed Grant.
Chief Investigator: Ms Elizabeth Halcomb
Consultancies
2007
Report on the human resources for health situation in Pacific Island countries for the Western Pacific Regional Office, World Health Organisation with Professor John Daly, Professor Esther Chang, Professor Debra Jackson, A/Professor Lorraine Ferguson, Dr Yenna Salamonson
2004
Report on the Practice Nurse Role in Australia for the Council of Deans of Nursing and Midwifery (Australia and New Zealand) with Associate Professor Patricia Davidson and Professor John Daly
Selected Publications
Journal Articles
2011
Halcomb, E., Caldwell, B., Salamonson, Y., & Davidson, P. (2011). Development and Psychometric Validation of the General Practice Nurse Satisfaction Scale. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 43(3), 318-327. doi: 10.1136/qhc.9.4.210
Phillips, J. L., Halcomb, E. J., & Davidson, P. M (2011). End-of-life care pathways in acute and hospice care: An integrative review. Journal of Pain and Sympton Management, 41(5), 940-955.
Hardaker, L., Halcomb, E., Griffiths, R., Bolzan, N., & Arblaster, K. (2011). A survey of 63 Australian occupational therapists working in youth mental health. Occupational Therapy in Mental Health, 27(2), 140-154.
Andrew, S., Salamonson, Y., Everett, B., Halcomb, E. J., & Davidson, P. M. (2011). Beyond the ceiling effect: Using a mixed methods approach to measure patient satisfaction. International Journal of Multiple Research Approaches, 5(1), 52-63.
Jackson, D., Peters, K., Andrew, S., Salamonson, Y., & Halcomb, E. J. (2011). "If you haven't got a PhD, you're not going to get a job": The PhD as a hurdle to continuing academic employment in nursing. Nurse Education Today, 31(4), 340-344.
2010
Andrew, S., Halcomb, E. J., Jackson, D., Peters, K., & Salamonson, Y. (2010). Sessional teachers in a BN program: Bridging the divide or widening the gap?. Nurse Education Today, 30(5), 453-457.
Halcomb, E. J., Andrew, S., Peters, K., Salamonson, Y., & Jackson, D. (2010). Casualisation of the teaching workforce: Implications for nursing education. Nurse Education Today, 30(6), 528-532.
Halcomb, E. J., Davidson, P. M., & Brown, N. (2010). Uptake of Medicare chronic disease items in Australia by general practice nurses and Aboriginal health workers. Collegian, 17(2), 57-61.
Halcomb, E. J., Davidson, P. M., Caldwell, B., Salamonson, Y., & Rolley, J. X. (2010). Validation of the professional practice environment scale in an Australian general practice. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 42(2), 207-213.
Halcomb, E. J., & Hickman, L. (2010). Development of a clinician-led research agenda for general practice nurses. Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, 27(3), 4-11.
Jackson, D., Peters, K., Andrew, S., Edenborough, M., Halcomb, E. J., Luck, L., Salamonson, Y., Weaver, R., & Wilkes, L. (2010). Trial and retribution: A qualitative study of whistleblowing and workplace relationships in nursing. Advances in Contemporary Nursing, 36(1-2), 34-44.
Jackson, D., Peters, K., Andrew, S., Edenborough, M., Halcomb, E., Luck, L., Salamonson, Y., & Wilkes, L. (2010). Understanding whistleblowing: Qualitative insights from nurse whistleblowers. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 66(10), 2194-2201.
Salamonson, Y., Halcomb, E. J., Andrew, S., Peters, K., & Jackson, D. (2010). A comparative study of assessment grading and nursing students' perceptions of quality in sessional and tenured teachers. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 42(4), 423-429.
Zwar, N., Richmond, R., Halcomb, E., Furler, J., Smith, J., Hermiz, O., Blackberry, L., & Borland, R. (2010). Quit in General Practice: A cluster randomised trial of enhanced in-practice support for smoking cessation. BMC Family Practice, 11(1), 59-59.
2009
Andrew, S., Salamonson, Y., & Halcomb, E. J. (2009). Nursing students' confidence in medication calculations predicts math exam performance, Nurse Education Today, 29(2), 217-223.
Halcomb, E. J. (2009). Feasibility and sustainability of a model of mutlidiciplinary case conferencing in residential aged care, Australian Journal of Primary Health, 15(3), 238-243.
Halcomb, E. J., & Andrew, S. (2009). Practical considerations for higher degree research students undertaking mixed methods projects, International Journal of Multiple Research Approaches, 3(2), 153-162.
Halcomb, E., Meadley, E., & Streeter, S. (2009). Professional development needs of general practice nurses, Advances in Contemporary Nursing, 32(1-2) 201-210.
Halcomb, E. J., & Peters, K. (2009). Nursing student feedback on undergraduate research education: Implications for teaching and learning, Contemporary Nurse, 33(1), 59-68.
Halcomb, E. J., Shepherd, B. M., & Griffiths, R. (2009). Perceptions of multidisciplinary case conferencing in residential aged care facilities, Australian Health Review, 33(4), 566-571.
2008
Andrew, S., Salamonson, Y., & Halcomb, E. J. (2008). Integrating mixed methods data analysis using NVivo: An example examining attrition and persistence of nursing students. International Journal of Multiple Research Approaches, 2(1), 36-43.
Halcomb, E. J., Davidson, P. M., Griffiths, R., & Daly, J. (2008). Cardiovascular disease management: Time to advance the practice nurse role? Australian Health Review, 32(1), 44-55.
Halcomb, E., Davidson, P., & Hardaker, L. (2008). Using the consensus development conference method in healthcare research. Nurse Researcher, 16(1), 56-71.
Halcomb, E. J., Davidson, P. M., & Patterson, E. (2008). Promoting leadership and management in Australian general practice nursing: What will it take. Journal of Nursing Management, 16(7), 846-852.
Halcomb, E. J., Davidson, P. M., Salamonson, Y., & Ollerton, R., & Griffiths, R. (2008). Nurses in Australian general practice: Implications for chronic disease management. Journal of Nursing and Healthcare of Chronic Illness, in association with Journal of Clinical Nursing, 17(5A), 6-15.
Halcomb, E. J., Griffiths, R., & Fernandez, R. (2008). Role of MRSA reservoirs in the acute care setting. International Journal of Evidence-Based Health care, 6(1), 50-77.
Halcomb, E. J., Fernandez, R., Griffiths, R., Newton, P. J., & Hickman, L. (2008). The infection control management of MRSA in acute care. International Journal of Evidence-Based Healthcare, 6(4), 440-467.
Halcomb, E. J., Griffiths, R., & Fernandez, R. (2008). The role of patient isolation and compliance with isolation practices in the control of nosocomial MRSA in acute care. International Journal of Evidence-Based Healthcare, 6(2), 206-224.
2007
Halcomb, E. J., Davidson, P. M., & Patterson, E. (2007). Exploring the development of Australian general practice nursing: Where we have come from and where to from here? Advances in Contemporary Nursing, 26(1), 145-153.
Halcomb, E. J., Davidson, P. M., Yallop, J., Griffiths, R., & Daly, J. (2007). Strategic directions for developing the Australian general practice nurse role in cardiovascular disease management. Advances in Contemporary Nursing, 26(1), 125-135.
Halcomb, E. J., Gholizadeh, L., DiGiacomo, M., Phillips, J., & Davidson, P. M. (2007). Literature review: Considerations in undertaking focus group research with culturally and linguistically diverse groups. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 16(6), 1000-1011.
Halcomb, E., Moujalli, S., Griffiths, R., & Davidson, P. (2007). Effectiveness of general practice nurse interventions in cardiac risk factor reduction among adults. International Journal of Evidence Based Healthcare, 5(3), 269-295.
Hickman, L., Newton, P., Halcomb, E. J., Chang, E., & Davidson, P. (2007). Best practice interventions to improve the management of older people in acute hospital settings: A literature review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 60(2), 113-126.
Newton, P. J., Halcombe, E. J., Davidson, P. M., & Denniss, A. R. (2007). Barriers and facilitators to the implementation of the collaborative method: Reflections from a single site. Quality and Safety in Health Care, 16(6), 409-414.
2006
Halcomb, E. J., & Davidson, P. M. (2006). Is verbatim transcription of interview data always necessary? Applied Nursing Research, 19(1), 38-42.
Halcomb, E. J., & Davidson, P. M. (2006). The role of practice nurses in an integrated model of cardiovascular disease management in Australian general practice. Australian Journal of Primary Health, 12(2), 44-54.
Andrew, S., & Halcomb, E. J. (2006). Mixed methods research is an effective method of enquiry for community health. Advances in Contemporary Nursing, 23(2), 145-153.
Davidson, P., Halcomb, E., Hickman, L., Phillips, J., & Graham, B. (2006). Beyond the rhetoric: What do we mean by a model of care? Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, 23(3), 47-55.
Halcomb, E. J., Patterson, E., & Davidson, P. M. (2006). Evolution of practice nursing in Australia. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 55(3), 376-388.
Newton, P. J., Davidson, P.M., Halcomb, E.J., Denniss, A.R., & Westgarth, F. (2006). An introduction to the collaborative methodology and its potential use for the management of heart failure. Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 21(3), 161-168.
2005
Halcomb, E. J., & Andrew, S. (2005). Triangulation as a method for contemporary nursing research. Nurse Researcher, 13(2), 71-82.
Halcomb, E. J., & Davidson, P. (2005). Using the Illness trajectory framework to describe recovery from traumatic injury. Contemporary Nurse, 19(1-2), 232-241.
Halcomb, E. J., Davidson, P. M., Daly, J. P., Yallop, J., & Tofler, G. (2005). Nursing in Australian general practice: Directions and perspectives. Australian Health Review, 29(2), 156-66.
Mott, B., Nolan, J., Zarb, N., Arnison, V., Chan, R., Codner, T., Casey, T., Jenkins, B., Ulrych, G., Blackburn, C., Glanfield, L., Halcomb, E., & Davidson, P.M. (2005). Clinical nurses' knowledge of evidence-based practice: Constructing a framework to evaluate a multifaceted intervention for implementing EBP. Contemporary Nurse, 19(1), 96-104.
Books/Chapters
Davidson, P. M., Halcomb, E. J., Gholizadeh, L. (2010). Focus groups in health research. In P. Liamputtong (Ed.), Research methods in health: Foundations for evidence-based practice, (pp. 61-76), South Melbourne, Victoria: Oxford University Press.
Patterson, E., Halcomb, E. J., Mahomed, R., Evans, J., & Mcnalty, K. (2010). Building research capacity. In L. Walker, E. Patterson, W. Wong & D. Young (Eds.), General practice nursing (pp. 422-439), North Ryde, NSW: McGraw Hill.
Andrew, S. & Halcomb, E. J. (2009). Future challenges for mixed methods research in nursing and the health sciences. In S. Andrew & E. J. Halcomb (Eds.), Mixed methods research for nursing and the health sciences, (pp. 217-224), UK: Blackwell.
Brannen, J. & Halcomb, E. J. (2009). Data collection in mixed methods research. In S. Andrew & E. J. Halcomb (Eds.), Mixed methods research for nursing and the health sciences (pp. 67-83), UK: Blackwell.
Halcomb, E. J. & Andrew, S. (2009). Managing mixed methods projects. In S. Andrew & E. J. Halcomb (Eds.), Mixed methods research for nursing and the Health Sciences (pp. 50-64), UK: Blackwell.
Halcomb, E., Andrew, S., & Brannen, J. (2009). Introduction to mixed methods research for nursing and the health sciences. In S. Andrew & E. J. Halcomb (Eds.), Mixed methods research for nursing and the health sciences (pp. 3-12), UK: Blackwell.
Andrew, S., & Halcomb, E. J. (Eds.). (2009). Mixed methods research for nursing and the health sciences. London, England: Blackwell.
Andrew, S., & Halcomb, E. (2007). Chapter 7: Mixed method research. In S. Borbasi., D. Jackson, & R. W. Langford (Eds.), Navigating the maze of nursing research: An interactive learning adventure (2nd ed., pp. 179-202). Marrickville, New South Wales: Elsevier.
Davidson, P. M., Halcomb, E. J., & Patterson, E. (Eds.). (2007). Advances in contemporary general practice nursing. A Special Issue of Contemporary Nurse (Vol. 26(1)): e-Content Management.
Conference Presentations
2011
Blythe, S., Jackson, D., Halcomb, E., & Wilkes, L. (2011, April 27 - 30, 2011). Seeking recognition: long-term female foster carers claiming motherhood. Paper presented at the Sixth Australian International Conference on Motherhood: Mothers at the Margins, Brisbane, Australia.
Blythe, S., Jackson, D., Halcomb, E., & Wilkes, L. (2011, July 22, 2011). Seeking recognition: long-term female foster carers claiming motherhood. Paper presented at the Conference on Mothering: challenges, change and hope, Sydney, Australia.
Cook, A., Halcomb, EJ. , Salamonson, Y., Clauson, J., Lombardo, L. & Cooper, M. . (2011, 7-9th April). Utilisation of Practice Nurses by General Practitioners from Culturally and Linguistically diverse backgrounds Paper presented at the Australian Practice Nurses Association 3rd Annual Conference "Roadmap for the Future - Great Expectations, Sydney,NSW.
Halcomb, E., Godwin,K., Donkin-Evers,B., Meadley,L., Mannix,J.,. (2011, 7-9th April). Route for change:career development Paper presented at the Australian Practice Nurses Association 3rd Annual Conference "Roadmap for the Future - Great Expectations, Sydney,NSW.
Halcomb, E., McInnes,S., Pete,K. (2011, 7-9th April). Experiences of Practice Nurses providing clinical placement for undergraduate nursing students'. Paper presented at the Australian Practice Nurses Association 3rd Annual Conference "Roadmap for the Future - Great Expectations, Sydney,NSW.
Halcomb, E. (2011, 7-9th April). Using evidence to guide clinical practice. Paper presented at the Australian Practice Nurses Association 3rd Annual Conference "Roadmap for the Future - Great Expectations", Sydney, NSW.
Halcomb, E., Furler, J., Richmond, R., Smith, J., & Hermiz, O. (2011, 7-9th April). Quit in General Practice: Progress of a trial of smoking cessation support. Paper presented at the Australian Practice Nurses Association 3rd Annual Conference "Roadmap for the Future - Great Expectations", Sydney, NSW.
Halcomb, E. J., & Zwar, N. (2011). GPs and Nurses working together: making sense of the new Practice Nurse Incentive Program, General Practitioner Conference and Exhibition. Homebush, Sydney, Australia.
Hayman, B., Wilkes, L., Jackson, D., & Halcomb, E. (2011, April 1-3). Healthcare services and institutionalized homophobia: experiences and safety strategies of lesbian parents. Paper presented at the Women's Health 2011: The 19th Annual Congress, Washington DC, USA.
Hayman, B., Wilkes, L., Jackson, D., & Halcomb, E. (2011, April 27-30). Lesbian mothers choosing and negotiating maternity services: what are the priorities. Paper presented at the Sixth Australian International Conference on Motherhood: Mothers at the Margins, Brisbane, Australia.
Community interests
- Member, FACH Research Group, School of Nursing, UWS
- Research Associate, NSW Centre for Evidence Based Health Care: A collaborating centre of the Joanna Briggs Institute, UWS
- Member, Sigma Theta Tau International Membership Advisory Committee
- Member, Australian Practice Nurse Association, Research and Policy Committee
- Member, Royal College of Nursing, Australia
- Chapter Secretary, Sigma Theta Tau International, Xi Omicron Chapter
- Member, Editorial Board, Australian Practice Nurses Association
