Forsberg A1,2, Nilsagård Y1,3
1Örebro University, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro, Sweden, 2Region Örebro County, Physiotherapy, Örebro University Hospital, Örebro, Sweden, 3Region Örebro County, Health Care Management, Örebro, Sweden
Background: Evidence-based practice is an implicit part of physiotherapy although there can be a gap between research and practice. In 2010, we invited physiotherapists to a multicenter randomized controlled trial that had the purpose to develop and investigate balance training for individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). A network was formed were we could incorporate the experiences from clinically experienced physiotherapists in planning and executing the study. Three multi-center studies have been performed in this collaborate praxis group. The participatory process has made the intervention feasible in clinical settings, but have also contributed to development of research competence on both individual and organizational levels. This study was set up to describe an example of a participatory process in research from the perspective of clinically working physiotherapists.
Purpose: To investigate the process of participating in the development and implementation of research projects, as well as to describe how research and practice can be connected.
Methods: A qualitative focus group interview was performed in which 18 physiotherapist took part, who had participated in at least one of the studies. They had worked as physiotherapists mean 15 years (min 2; max 42), and 14 were women. All of them had several years of experience in neurological rehabilitation. None of the physiotherapists had master degree or had been participating in research projects before.
An interview guide was used with the following topics: experiences of being a partner in developing an exercise intervention at individual and organizational level, applying the intervention, performing the study, implementing the results, taking part of analyses and writing, being a part of the whole research process.
Qualitative content analyses with a deductive approach was used for the analyses. The interviews were first read through. Parts of the interview text was labeled with a code and then sorted into categories.
Results: The analyses rendered in categories describing on individual level that taking an active part was inspiring and an eye-opener for doing research, but also provided increased understanding for evidence-based physiotherapy. The physiotherapists found it inspiring to be a part of the writing and publication process but difficult to find the time. On organizational level they expressed that an explicit manual and protocol, and that they had taken an active part in developing the intervention had made it easy to implement the results in clinical practice.
Conclusion(s): The physiotherapists in this study described professional growth and change of roles from being doers, collecting data and providing intervention others have decided, to taking an active role in the planning of the study, implementation and publishing the results.
Implications: Taking part in research provide explicit values both for the individual och organization, and can be a step towards bridging the gap between research och practice.
Keywords: implementation, research, evidence-based practice
Funding acknowledgements: No specific funding was received for this study.
Purpose: To investigate the process of participating in the development and implementation of research projects, as well as to describe how research and practice can be connected.
Methods: A qualitative focus group interview was performed in which 18 physiotherapist took part, who had participated in at least one of the studies. They had worked as physiotherapists mean 15 years (min 2; max 42), and 14 were women. All of them had several years of experience in neurological rehabilitation. None of the physiotherapists had master degree or had been participating in research projects before.
An interview guide was used with the following topics: experiences of being a partner in developing an exercise intervention at individual and organizational level, applying the intervention, performing the study, implementing the results, taking part of analyses and writing, being a part of the whole research process.
Qualitative content analyses with a deductive approach was used for the analyses. The interviews were first read through. Parts of the interview text was labeled with a code and then sorted into categories.
Results: The analyses rendered in categories describing on individual level that taking an active part was inspiring and an eye-opener for doing research, but also provided increased understanding for evidence-based physiotherapy. The physiotherapists found it inspiring to be a part of the writing and publication process but difficult to find the time. On organizational level they expressed that an explicit manual and protocol, and that they had taken an active part in developing the intervention had made it easy to implement the results in clinical practice.
Conclusion(s): The physiotherapists in this study described professional growth and change of roles from being doers, collecting data and providing intervention others have decided, to taking an active role in the planning of the study, implementation and publishing the results.
Implications: Taking part in research provide explicit values both for the individual och organization, and can be a step towards bridging the gap between research och practice.
Keywords: implementation, research, evidence-based practice
Funding acknowledgements: No specific funding was received for this study.
Topic: Research methodology & knowledge translation; Professional practice: other; Neurology
Ethics approval required: Yes
Institution: Uppsala University
Ethics committee: Regional Ethics Committee Uppsala-Örebro Region
Ethics number: 2014/506
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
