Communication barriers between basic scientists and clinicians in regenerative medicine: A qualitative study from...

Area of Science:

• Cell-based therapeutics
• Stem cell science
• Health care technologies

Background:

• Stem cell science is rapidly evolving in Iran, necessitating clinical application of research findings.
• Translation of scientific achievements into clinical practice faces significant hurdles.
• Impediments in interactions between basic stem cell scientists and clinicians are a major challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and highlight the specific impediments in interactions between stem cell scientists and clinicians in Iran.
• To gather perspectives from both scientific and medical professionals on these challenges.
• To inform strategies for improving collaboration and accelerating therapeutic translation.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative research utilizing thematic analysis.
• Purposive sampling of 32 distinguished stem cell scientists and clinicians.
• MAXQDA 2018 software used for coding and theme identification.

Main Results:

• Six major themes emerged, including differing communication registers, networking barriers, external communication challenges, resource competition, leadership conflicts, and stakeholder dissatisfaction.
• Identified 18 subthemes contributing to communication inefficiencies.
• Key issues include divergent professional language, fragmented networks, and competition for resources.

Conclusions:

• Impediments are both global (e.g., educational system incoherence, physician-scientist career path, overspecialization) and local (e.g., limited funding, educational system division in Iran).
• Proposed interventions focus on strengthening physician-scientist programs, implementing distributed leadership, and restoring scientific integrity in higher education.
• Addressing these multifaceted barriers is essential for successful clinical translation of stem cell research.