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Allied Health Professions Research and Development Action Plan
INTRODUCTION
by the Allied Health Professions Officer
Allied health professions (AHPs) is an umbrella term for a diverse group of practitioners. Each of the nine professions under the AHP grouping offers a unique and distinct contribution to improving the health of the people of Scotland and to health and social care services. All share a commitment to improving outcomes for service users and developing a better evidence base to underpin their interventions.
It is this foundation that has enabled the professions to work together effectively towards these common goals.
AHPs throughout Scotland are acutely aware of the importance of research and a strong evidence base for healthcare interventions. As Smith (1996) notes:
The methodologies applied to biomedical and health services research have matured dramatically over the past three decades. Effectiveness, efficiency, and efficacy of clinical practice has been carefully examined in focused areas and is under increasing scrutiny to ensure that the right procedure is delivered to the right person at the right time.
AHPs have a proud record of producing high quality, patient-focused research within uni- and multi-professional contexts. But AHPs are, on the whole, relatively new academic disciplines and their influence on wider health, health care and social care research has not yet matched the significance of their impact on an individual's care journey, or on the wider delivery of health and social care across Scotland.
Within the AHP grouping, a number of the professions have an acknowledged record in patient-centred research, while others are emerging as enthusiastic research-active professionals keen to maximise their capacity and capability. It is clear that research excellence is the ultimate goal for all the professions and that working in partnership to build research leadership and infrastructure will be the key to its achievement.
Building on Success: Future Directions for the Allied Health Professions in Scotland (SEHD, 2002a), published in June 2002, made a commitment to establishing a
'short term working group... to review AHP research and develop an action plan for building AHP research capacity and capability within health and social care'.
This short-term working group was set up early in 2003 with representation from a range of AHPs, researchers and other stakeholders. It became clear during the group's Scotland-wide consultation process, which provided direction for the action plan's development, that research and development is a key priority for AHPs.
The consultation found that AHPs in Scotland share the objective of developing clinically effective, evidenced-based practice to meet the needs and expectations of patients. There is widespread recognition of the need to build on existing achievements and strengths, but also awareness of the importance of addressing issues in key areas such as:
skills development in research awareness and critical appraisal
research capacity and capability
funding and support
dissemination and development.
Participants expressed a wish to see better partnership working among stakeholders in driving this agenda forward, with the development of clinical/academic career pathways and alliances that support strategic developments in the field. Significantly, this was a shared view among practitioners, researchers and academics from all the allied health professions.
The issue of developing evidence-based care is driven by policy, service delivery and redesign challenges for health and social care. It is one that is common to all health professions and increasingly cuts across the health and social care spectrum. As the largest combined group providing direct patient care, AHPs, nurses and midwives share the challenge of developing a knowledge base which is as extensive and robust as their commitment to care.
From the original consultation process to the feedback from the consensus conference in June 2003, it has become evident that the professions believe research and development is an area that requires specific attention. This action plan reflects the consensus views of the participants who generated such enthusiastic debate through those events, and is the first of its kind for AHPs in Scotland. It maps out the direction of travel required for AHPs to achieve their full potential as producers, and users, of high-quality research that influences and shapes the way health and social care is delivered in Scotland, the UK and beyond.
The action plan has been developed through partnership working with AHP stakeholders (including the AHP professional bodies) and key organisations such as the Chief Scientist Office (CSO), NHS Education for Scotland (NES), NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS), the Scottish School of Primary Care (SSPC), and Scotland's higher education institutions (HEIs). It also builds on extensive work undertaken through the development of
Choices and Challenges: the strategy for research and development in nursing and midwifery (SEHD, 2002b) and subsequent initiatives, to address common issues of capacity and capability and the need for a more robust evidence base to underpin professional interventions.
I believe that the energy and enthusiasm generated through the process of developing this action plan is a strong indication of the appetite the professions have for the challenge that lies ahead. I look forward to seeing AHPs building on their success to date and emerging as key players in the multi-professional research agenda.
Jacqui Lunday
Allied Health Professions Officer, Scottish Executive Health Department
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