Research interest, experience and confidence of allied health professionals working in medical imaging: a cross‐sectional survey

Abstract

Introduction: There is growing interest in developing research culture and opportunities for allied health professionals working in medical imaging. However, little attention has been given to identifying the research interest and needs of this group relative to the other allied health professions. We aimed to measure self-reported research participation, interest, experience and confidence of allied health professionals working in medical imaging and compare the findings to clinicians working in allied health therapies. Methods: A crosssectional survey of allied health professionals from medical imaging (radiographers, sonographers and nuclear medicine technologists) was conducted. The primary outcome, the Research Spider survey, measures 10 domains of research interest/experience/confidence on a 5-point Likert scale. Results were compared to allied health therapy data. Results: Responses were received by 82 medical imaging allied health professionals (65% response rate). Overall, medical imaging professionals rated themselves as having 'some interest' and 'little experience or confidence' in research. There was no difference in interest, experience and confidence among different imaging professions (interest P = 0.099, experience P = 0.380, confidence P = 0.212) or allied health therapists (interest P = 0.137, experience P = 0.363, confidence P = 0.791). Participants reported greatest interest in finding and reviewing literature and lowest interest in applying for funding. Conclusion: There are strong similarities between medical imaging allied health professionals and allied health therapy professionals. Therefore, strategies used to promote research culture in allied health therapy professions could be leveraged to provide opportunities for medical imaging allied health professionals.

Identification of research priorities of radiography science: A modified Delphi study in Europe

“…Similar discussions of task‐shifting have been topical in other health sciences and we need more research in this area. It will be interesting to see how the rise of AI technology in image interpretation affects this discussion.Studies have shown that radiographers want to conduct research but lack the skills and confidence (Saukko et al, 2021; Dennett et al, 2021). Bolejko et al (2021) propose a strategy for establishing a research culture that is enhanced by support from colleagues and management.…”

We can do it: Improving research culture and capacity in medical radiation sciences

“…Finding suitable leave cover could be accomplished by utilising a causal staff member or a locum. An additional strategy to generate protected research time is to embed a dedicated research position into a medical imaging or radiation therapy department, as acknowledged by Dennett and colleagues 3 . Such a position is traditionally held by one clinician, such as a research fellow 5,6 .…”

“…Evidence suggests that research mentors and protected research time are valuable strategies to build research capacity, increase research outputs and create a positive influence on a team’s research culture. The article by Dennett and colleagues 3 is a timely reminder that while progress is being made, some radiographers are still not confident in undertaking research despite the body of evidence suggesting that they are capable. Leveraging off the existing allied health research resources and support may benefit the advancement of medical radiation research.…”

“…4 Research grants have been shown to significantly increase clinicians' research capacity and outputs, often manifested as an increase in publications. Unfortunately, as highlighted in the paper by Dennett and colleagues 3 published within this edition of the journal, MRPs have the least amount of interest in applying for research funding. Some MRPs may even feel that the importance of their projects might not qualify for applying for large research grants.…”

“…2 Several strategies have been proposed to build allied health research culture and capacity, including mentoring, managerial support, research skills training, protected time, grant funding and creating dedicated research positions. 1,3 In my opinion, access to an approachable and accessible research mentor is probably the most valuable resource to have available. Research mentors can assist novice researchers through all the research stages: from idea conception, through obtaining ethical approval, to preparing a manuscript for publication.…”