Research training for rural and regional allied health professionals: An evaluation study.

Abstract

Rural and regional areas need health service-led research that generates relevant translatable findings. Rural and regional health services have less access to research infrastructure and funding than their metropolitan counterparts, and therefore have comparatively less capacity to lead and participate in research. To address an identified gap, a research training program for rural and regionally-based allied health professionals (AHPs) was implemented. Training consisted of two face-to-face workshops held six weeks apart, with research mentoring between workshops to support novice AHP researchers develop a research protocol. The mixed method evaluation included three and 12-month post-training interviews. Through the interviews, we sought to understand whether the training and/or other factors influenced individual AHPs’ research capacity development and research progress, and to determine the training outcomes at the two time points. Sixteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 AHPs, with 5 AHPs participating at both time points. Through thematic analysis, we identified three key themes: 1) valued learnings or new skills gleaned from the training; 2) outcomes of the training (expected and unexpected); and 3) factors influencing the progression of AHP-led health research (i.e., barriers and facilitators). Participants appreciated the practical nature of the research training and gained fundamental research skills, networks, and the impetus to commence a research project. Factors that influenced participants’ progress included organizational factors (e.g., manager support), time, team-based approaches, and support from experienced researchers. The findings of our evaluation have informed the development of a broader program of research capacity and capability building in rural and regional Victoria.