A Practical Toolkit of Strategies for Building Research Capacity in Allied Health

Main Article Content

Janine Matus
Rachel Wenke
Sharon Mickan

Abstract

Objectives: The objectives of this project were firstly to develop a practical toolkit of evidence-informed strategies for building research capacity in allied health, and secondly to disseminate and apply this toolkit to inform tailored research capacity building plans for allied health teams. 


Design: This project used a plan, do, study, act (PDSA) service quality improvement methodology to develop, disseminate and apply a toolkit which was based on the results of a recent systematic review of allied health research capacity building frameworks and a narrative review of other interventions and theoretical recommendations. 


Setting: Eight allied health professional teams in a publicly funded tertiary health service were supported to develop tailored research capacity building plans based on their specific needs, goals and context. 


Main outcome measures: The outcomes of this project were evaluated using process measures including whether a research capacity building plan was developed and to what extent short-term goals were achieved within three months. 


Results: A practical toolkit was developed which consolidates existing evidence-informed strategies and organises these around three components including ‘supporting clinicians in research’, ‘working together’ and ‘valuing research for excellence’ and 17 sub-components. Several barriers and facilitators to applying the toolkit to teams were identified and this paper suggests some recommendations and future directions for addressing these.


Conclusions: This toolkit may be a useful resource to inform the development of team-based research capacity building plans for allied health. The application of the toolkit may be enhanced by a needs assessment and facilitation from a researcher. 

Article Details

How to Cite
Matus, J., Wenke, R., & Mickan, S. (2019). A Practical Toolkit of Strategies for Building Research Capacity in Allied Health. Asia Pacific Journal of Health Management, 14(2), 5-18. https://doi.org/10.24083/apjhm.v14i2.261
Section
Research Articles
Author Biographies

Janine Matus, Gold Coast Health

Gold Coast Health - Allied Health
Southport, Queensland, Australia

Rachel Wenke, Griffith University

Gold Coast Health - Allied Health
Southport, Queensland, Australia

Griffith University - School of Allied Health Sciences
Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

Sharon Mickan, Gold Coast Health

Gold Coast Health - Allied Health
Southport, Queensland, Australia


Griffith University - Griffith Health
Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

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