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. 2024 Jan 27;24(1):143.
doi: 10.1186/s12913-024-10599-8.

The health service perspective on determinants of success in allied health student research project collaborations: a qualitative study guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research

Rebecca L Angus  1 , H Laetitia Hattingh  2 , Kelly A Weir  3   4
Affiliations

The health service perspective on determinants of success in allied health student research project collaborations: a qualitative study guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research

Rebecca L Angus et al. BMC Health Serv Res. .

Abstract

Background: A research culture in health care organisations is associated with improved healthcare performance. Allied health (AH) students undertake research training as part of their professional degree qualifications. This may include participation in research projects, sometimes undertaken in association with health services. Co-supervision of these projects by health service staff provides research capacity building opportunities and staff-centred outcomes for the individuals involved, as well as improvements in clinical knowledge and practice within the local area. Also, publications from these projects contribute to the wider evidence base. Identification of barriers and facilitators to engagement in, and conduct of, these projects may optimise systems for improved health service outcomes.

Methods: This formative evaluation used the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) to guide analysis of qualitative data obtained from semi-structured interviews with health service-employed allied health professionals, including clinicians and research fellows, who had supervised students on clinical-related research placements within the previous five years.

Results: Eleven AH clinicians described 18 collaborative projects with 24 students from five AH disciplines across four universities. Three health service-employed AH research fellows described their involvement in these and other student research projects. Twenty key determinant constructs were identified and mapped across all five CFIR domains. Facilitators included health service cosmopolitanism, project adaptability and implementation climate (compatibility). Health service-employed research fellows provided readiness for implementation and a facilitator for project execution. The main barriers identified were cost to staff in workload and personal time and aspects related to project complexity. Differing student characteristics affected the relative advantage of collaborative projects in positive and negative manners.

Conclusions: This study describes the facilitators and barriers to the conduct of collaborative AH student research projects. Addressing these determinants when establishing each new project may enable health services to optimise communication, role delineation and project success, and thus ultimately, healthcare performance and patient care.

Keywords: Allied health; CFIR; Healthcare performance; Research capacity building; Research supervision.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Facilitators and barriers to allied health collaborative student research projects mapped against the CFIR [11] *The construct “Needs and resources of students” was adapted from the original CFIR construct of “Needs and resources of those served by the organisation”, usually recognised as relating to patients, but which for the purposes of this study was recoded with reference to students
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