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M. Suppanz1, S. Moro1, B. Salchinger2
1FH Kärnten - University of Applied Sciences, Health Sciences and Social Work, Klagenfurt am Wörthersee, Austria, 2FH JOANNEUM Graz - University of Applied Sciences, Health Studies, Graz, Austria
Background: The transfer of research outcomes into everyday praxis in physiotherapy still poses challenges in Austria. Physiotherapists are reluctant to use a lot of spare time to bring themselves up to date, on the other hand time frames during working hours are often limited to patient care and documentation. Furthermore, suggestions about relevant topics for research arising from everyday praxis are scarce resulting in a gab between research being undertaken and questions needed to be answered.
Purpose: This study wanted to use a Crowdsourcing Approach to generate research topics from the physiotherapy community and to feedback research outcomes via appropriate channels to this community. It also wanted to find out which channels are widely used within the community and which could therefore used to communicate the outcomes.
Methods: An online survey was sent to physiotherapists in Austria via newsletter of the professional organization, Facebook and personal emails between May and June 2020. The survey included closed questions about the use of research outcomes and open questions about the tools and resources used to gain information about research outcomes and the level of trustworthiness of this tools and resources. It contained open questions on how the outcomes should be conveyed in order to find a transfer into everyday praxis.
Results: 117 of 196 replies could be included in the data analysis. 73,5% of the physiotherapists stated that they use information about new research outcomes on a regular basis, 60,7% stated that this is easy for them to do. Physiotherapists use a wide range of resources and tools to get information about research outcomes. Continuing education (86,3%), communication with colleagues (82,1%) and lectures (67,5%) were the resources most often used. In the area of trustworthiness, lectures and congresses were rated very high but also (interprofessional) working groups and printed professional literature were ranked as trustworthy information. Asked for preferences, physiotherapists wanted, easy to read or to listen to, digital information which includes best practice for praxis transfer and should be linked with the original paper.
Conclusion(s): Physiotherapists are interested in research outcomes but prefer adjusted information for a quick update and the possibility for ongoing reading. This information can be given online or in physical presence but should easily accessible and linked with practice transfer.
Implications: Different stakeholders can use different channels to convey research outcomes to the community depending on resources. Small professional conferences, working groups, digital groups are all useful but need people to organize and “translate” the information before it is passed on in order to reach a wide range of physiotherapists. Universities are used to break down information and could play an important role also post qualification.
Funding, acknowledgements: none
Keywords: research-practice gap, translation between research and practice, access to research
Topic: Research methodology, knowledge translation & implementation science
Did this work require ethics approval? No
Institution: FH Kärnten, Austria; FH JOANNEUM Graz, Austria
Committee: Ethikkommission des Landes Kärnten
Reason: According to the ethics commitee, the selected study design does not require an approval.
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
