Out of the Ivory Tower: the value of collaborative research

Collaboration is an underutilized strategy for combining the strengths and perspective of home health care professionals in service and academic settings. This paper explores the importance of collaborative research strategies, focusing on the role of the unique talents, resources, and perspectives offered by each health professional to the research process. Finally, personal, professional and organizational barriers to collaboration are examined in order to alert would-be researcher collaborators to obstacles they are likely to encounter. When both the strengths of and obstacles to collaborative research are anticipated, collaboration can encourage research that is relevant to the needs and experiences of both home health service providers and academicians.