Research use and support needs, and research activity in social care: a cross-sectional survey in two councils with social services responsibilities in the UK

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the level of research activity, research use, research interests and research skills in the social care workforce in two UK councils with social service responsibilities (CSSRs). A cross-sectional survey was conducted of the social care workforce in two CSSRs (n = 1512) in 2005. The sample was identified in partnership with the councils, and included employees with professional qualifications (social workers and occupational therapists); staff who have a role to assess, plan and monitor care; service managers; commissioners of services; and those involved with social care policy, information management and training. The survey achieved a response rate of 24% (n = 368). The Internet was reported as an effective source of research information; conversely, research-based guidelines were reported to have a low impact on practice. Significant differences were found in research use, by work location, and postgraduate training. Most respondents saw research as useful for practice (69%), and wanted to collaborate in research (68%), but only 11% were planning to do research within the next 12 months. Having a master's degree was associated with a greater desire to lead or collaborate in research. A range of research training needs, and the preferred modes of delivery were identified. Support to increase research activity includes protected time and mentorship. The study concludes that a range of mechanisms to make research available for the social care workforce needs to be in place to support evidence-informed practice. Continual professional development to a postgraduate level supports the use and production of evidence in the social care workforce, and promotes the development of a research culture. The term research is used to include service user consultations, needs assessment and service evaluation. The findings highlight a relatively large body of the social care workforce willing to collaborate and conduct research. Councils and research support systems need to be developed to utilise this relatively untapped potential.

Research training needs in Peruvian national TB/HIV programs

“…What appears to be lacking for mid-level managers are the antecedents , how to design research studies and public health interventions and obtain resources to fund them, and the assessment of current health care practices in the field. These findings are consistent with previous research training needs assessments that have reported gaps in experience at these two ends of the research spectrum [5,7]. Many of the participants working in the Ministry of Health National Strategy Programs for TB and HIV and our key informants could be considered policymakers, in that they are the ones developing national standards and regulations for TB and HIV prevention and treatment; however, in each of these groups, insufficient political support was cited as a barrier to effective infectious disease control.…”

“…These findings support Dayrit et al's call for more operational and context-specific research conducted at a local country level under the umbrella of a national strategy of health research [14]. Barriers to research training identified by our respondents were consistent with other reports [3,6,7], highlighting the need for both supplemental sources of funding from external entities, as well as internal program changes to enable protected work time on research activities.…”

“…Existing research training programs have identified the need for and have employed a range of training modalities from a several hours seminar, to multi-year advanced degree training [ 3 - 5 ]. Nearly all have emphasized the importance of maintaining practitioners' base in the field and in their home country, while simultaneously providing protected work time during which to implement research under supervised mentorship [ 3 , 4 , 6 , 7 ]. Goding, Chew and Whitworth identify broader challenges specific to resource-constrained settings, including inadequate funding for health research, poor institutional infrastructure, and lack of appropriate research training, career development pathways and role models opportunities for research scientists [ 8 ].…”

Survey Instruments for Knowledge, Skills, Attitudes and Behaviour Related to Evidence‐based Practice in Occupational Therapy: A Systematic Review

“…It is concerning that where this was carried out, the researchers assumed that the properties of the original instrument still applied. Ideally, a previously validated instrument should be used in its original form, but this may not be possible if the context in which the instrument was developed differs from that in Bennett et al (2003) Attitudes Use in practice, perceived barriers to use Confidence in skills Bennett et al (2007) Use of OTseeker and other databases, perceived ability to find relevant evidence, perceived contribution of OTseeker to changes in practice Caldwell et al (2007) Views on relevance and key aspects of EBP Use of, and access to, databases, experience of research changing practice Confidence to engage in EBP Cameron et al (2005) Value of EBP Application of EBP to intervention, resources to support EBP Cooke et al (2008) Access to, and use of, research information Curtin and Jaramazovic (2001) Views and perceptions of EBP Involvement in EBP activities Dopp et al (2012) Attitudes to EBP Access to, and use of, evidence sources, barriers to implementing EBP Dysart and Tomlin (2002) Attitudes towards research findings and their relevance to practice, valuing understanding and application of research to practice confidence using databases and the internet and doing critical appraisal Access to, and use of EBP resources, use of research to develop or alter treatment plans, facilitators and barriers to EBP Funk et al (1991); BARRIERS Scale…”