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Building Research Capacity and Culture in Allied Health - A Five-Year Strategic Review
Katrina Kenah1,2, Abby M Foster1,2,3,4
1Workforce, Innovation, Strategy, Education and Research Unit, Monash Health, Heatherton, VIC, Australia.
Background:
Allied health clinicians play a vital role in delivering evidence-based care. Engagement in research is associated with better processes of care, patient outcomes and staff satisfaction but remains underfunded and variable compared to other health and medical professions.
Purpose:
This study aimed to evaluate changes in research capacity and culture within allied health at a large public healthcare service, following the implementation of a comprehensive Allied Health Research Strategic Plan.
Methods:
A repeated cross-sectional observational study was conducted at a large public healthcare service in Melbourne, Australia. Allied health clinicians were surveyed using the validated 51-item Research Capacity and Culture (RCC) tool in 2019 and 2024 to assess changes across organizational, team and individual levels following implementation of a tailored, allied health research strategy targeting leadership, communication, collaboration, support, strategy and funding.
Results:
A significant improvement in research capacity and culture was observed at the organizational and team levels (36 of 37 items, p < 0.05) in the 2024 survey (n=254) compared with the 2019 survey (n=250), with small to moderate effect sizes (r = -0.141 to -0.319). The largest improvements were seen in access to adequate research training resources, funding opportunities, expert support and mentoring (all p <0.001, r = -0.279 to -0.319). Despite these improvements, no significant changes were observed at the individual level and self-reported research skills remained lower than organizational and team domains.
Conclusion:
This study demonstrates the value of a tailored, multi-level approach to enhancing allied health research capacity and culture, with interventions leading to measurable improvements in organizational and team-level research engagement. The findings provide valuable insights for other healthcare organizations aiming to build sustainable research cultures to improve patient care and outcomes.
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