Table 5 Grouped themes and selected quotes from the focus groups
From: Exploring research capacity and culture of allied health professionals: a mixed methods evaluation
Empowerment | |
|---|---|
Endorsement to engage | ‘…so actually having that full permission… will make a big difference in people actually participating in research.’ |
Overcoming competing factors | ‘I know there will be that pressure the wards are full, and there is a big amount of caseload.’ |
Balancing workload priorities | ‘It is difficult to step back and prioritise time for non-clinical things like research’ |
Dispelling personal and external guilt | ‘…almost guilt from having not done the clinical or a guilt from how patients or families might feel, or how their colleagues might feel being left?’ |
Building research infrastructure | |
Strong mentorship with accountability | ‘Just having someone that can help you know walk you through that process…’ |
Breadth of communication channels | ‘…someone having dedicated time to meet …whether it’s just emailing them or sitting down with them.’ |
Establishment of a resource repository | ‘I think having a central place for research…. it would be nice to know where to go and how to access that.’ |
Nurturing collaborations internally and externally | ‘So I think it is building those bridges between the disciplines together.’ |
Fostering research skills | |
Acquiring research skills | ‘…I think the opportunity to get involved with little bits, see if you do like it and learn how to do…’ |
Scale of skills across the research process | ‘…writing a paper…’; ‘…ethics…’; ‘…presenting…creation of a paper…’ |
Formulating the right research questions | ‘So right from setting your question which is complex enough sometimes, and having that so you don’t get it wrong at the beginning…’ |
Development of grassroot to advanced skills | ‘The poster, the case study? It doesn’t necessarily have to be a big study does it? |
Ownership of research skills and outputs | ‘That’s the hardest thing… I went to a consultant with an idea and it got snatched, and I helped collect data and got funding, and got zero mention…’ |
Access for all | |
Inclusivity for all staff | ‘…make decisions what would help people from the time they start in the trust to the time where they become more senior researchers.’ |
Flexibility for staff with varying work patterns | ‘And something less dependent on potentially rotating.’ |
Formal clinical academic pathways versus research engagement | ‘So a clinical academic pathway as a post where you have protected time for research and training…’; ‘…having the exposure and opportunity to grow in particular areas of research’ |
Positive research culture | |
Strengthening staff recruitment and retention | ‘… it will only help with staff retention, for people to grow with that…’ |
Underpinning staff development and enriching staff experience | ‘I think it helps develop you as a physio. If you don’t ever do research to change things you would still do things the way people did 50 years go.’ |
Showcasing local research profiles and priorities | ‘…contributing to the physiotherapy department branding…. putting us out on the map….the centre of excellence for AHP research’ |
Ensuring evidence-based practice | ‘Science is changing all the time so you are going to need an evidence based practice…’ |
Supporting commissioning and operational provision | ‘I think there are huge benefits, that’s how you illicit change, isn’t it? It’s how you get to influence your service… to control future improvements in care essentially.’ |