Embedding Research in Practice Judy Lawrence RD PhD

Aim To outline ways in which AHP’s, can embed research in their work – Audit/Practice evaluation – Research projects – Getting help

What is research? Definition Aims to derive new knowledge which is potentially generalisable or transferable.

Barriers to dietetic research Time and money Lack of research knowledge and skills No support and advice No research culture in our dept No personal interest Howard et al, J Hum Nutr Diet. 2013; 26 S1:180-7.

No time Audit and service evaluation involve lots of research skills, and should be part of your role Audit “Clinical audit should be compulsory for all healthcare professionals providing clinical care and the requirement to participate in it should be included as part of the contract of employment.” 'Principles for Best Practice in Clinical Audit' (2002, NICE/CHI )

Lack of knowledge & skills Audit Does not involve a completely new treatment or practice Addresses a clearly defined audit question Uses robust methodology Measures against an established standard Generates evidence to demonstrate a level of compliance with agreed standards

How to get involved Should be part of your job description Get management support Start by repeating an audit as part of the cycle Can the original audit be improved? – Was the method robust? – Could the data collection be expanded? – Get help from clinical audit department

How to get involved Initiate a new audit What standards exist in your area? What are neighbouring trusts auditing? Develop a student project Share the outcome - publish

Audit as CPD What did you learn? Clear aim Robust methodology People skills Data collection Analysis Writing up Presentation skills

No research culture in the dept. Service evaluation Aims to judge a services’ effectiveness/efficiency through assessment of its aims activities outcomes and cost. May also be called benchmarking or organisational audit. general/research_and_evaluation_home.html

Get involved Usually designed to answer the question “What standard does this service achieve?” Monitor how well the service meets its aim and how it can be improved – What is the aim of your service? – What outcomes do you expect to see? – Do you routinely collect data?

Process How can you evaluate your service What data do you routinely collect? How robustly is it collected? Does it relate to your aim? Do you need to collect different data or better data? Quantitative/qualitative/both How will you analyse it?

Outcomes Data collection – Interviews, focus groups, questionnaires What questions are you trying to answer? Are there validated questionnaires available? Who will do the interviews? Are there conflicts of interest? Ethical approval may not be needed but the work should still be ethical

Data analysis Consider this before you collect the data Do you have the skills necessary How can you acquire them? How will the analysed data allow you to show that the service met its aim? How will you share the work you have done? CPD - What have you learnt?

Research Projects Derives generalisable new knowledge You already have lots of the skills needed Question your practice What is the evidence base for what you do? Would another treatment option be better? May compare interventions or evaluate an experience Don’t be put off by ethics

A clear aim The success of the project depends on the clarity of the aim

Time/Money Students! Grants Companies Nutricia, DANONE Charities profiles profiles What do they want done? Can you do it? You may need to use your own time

NIHR National Institute of Health Research Commission and fund NHS, social care and public health research Funding based on quality and relevance Research design service Publications – briefing documents Calls for proposals Research training

Clinical Academic Training Nurses, midwives and AHP Brilliant scheme (internships) Masters in Research, Masters in Clinical Research Clinical Doctoral Research Fellowships Clinical Lectureship Senior Clinical Lectureship

Internship New scheme Allows clinicians to try research About £10,000 Administered by Local Education & Training Boards (LETBs) education-east-midlands-launch-the-new-clinical- academic-careers-internship/ education-east-midlands-launch-the-new-clinical- academic-careers-internship/

Masters in Research University of Birmingham courses/combined/med/health-research.aspx courses/combined/med/health-research.aspx To link theory and method with practical skills Funding to cover salary and fees Minimum of 1 year experience as AHP

Clinical Doctoral Research Fellowship 1 years clinical experience since graduating Sufficient research training or experience Wish to obtain a PhD by research whilst developing their clinical skills Salary cost + tuition fees + research costs

Research Design Service Part of NIHR Give priority to grant applications Regional centres, hub in Birmingham – Workshops – Seminars – Newsletter – Resource packs

Help Centre for Reviews and Dissemination atic_reviews.htm Cochrane AHP Research Network union/research/networking/allied-health- professions-research-network