Research capacity and culture among hand therapists in Australia: A cross-sectional survey

Background

Identifying the factors influencing engagement in research capacity and culture (RCC) in hand therapy practice is essential to inform strategies to support contributions to high-quality research and its implementation in clinical practice. However, the RCC of clinicians providing hand therapy services in Australia has not been investigated.

Purpose

This study aimed to measure RCC among hand therapists in Australia to identify perceived barriers, motivators, and skills related to undertaking research.

Study Design

Cross-sectional survey.

Methods

All Australian Hand Therapy Association members were invited to complete the RCC tool, which includes three domains: i) individual, ii) professional group (team), and iii) organization.

Results

One hundred twenty-two therapists (13.6% response rate) completed the survey. Survey findings indicate that the RCC of hand therapists in Australia is relatively low across all RCC domains, with scores on these items being either moderate or low. The findings from this study suggest that the areas or skills that respondents felt most confident with were more closely aligned to the clinical skills required as evidence-based practitioners, compared to other skills more closely aligned with the clinician-researchers, such as data analysis or writing proposals.

Conclusions

Hand therapists in Australia may not possess the research experience or skills required to confidently complete a range of research-related activities. Future support strategies should focus on improving hand therapist knowledge and confidence regarding common research tasks and provide funding and mentoring for additional hand therapist clinician-researcher roles.