Note.
Confidence using research evidence. ‘Not applicable’ responses excluded
from analysis.
Barriers to using research to inform decision-making and
practice
Survey respondents were asked to choose one main barrier to using
research to inform decision-making and practice in their team/area of
work (Figure 2). ‘Not enough time’ stood out as the leading area of
difficulty (43%), followed by ‘lack of knowledge of research’ (15%).
Other potential main barriers were identified by smaller proportions of
respondents. Regarding the choice of main barrier, there were no
significant differences between staff groups in terms of seniority and
role.
[CHART]
Figure 2: Practitioner views on the barriers to using research
to inform decision-making and practice in their team/area of work.
Respondents asked to select one leading barrier . n=240
Further analysis of differences between practitioner
groups
This section reports comparisons between staff groups, including those
between grades, professions, duration of service, and prior experiences
of research. As might be anticipated, respondents who held more positive
response to the ‘Research Views’ measures (outlined in Table 3), were
significantly more likely to report significant changes to practice as a
result of research findings (p <.001) and to have
conducted or participated in research themselves (p<.001 for
both measures). However, those with more positive Research Views were
not more likely to have attended a course related to using research to
inform decision making and practice (p= .102).
Staff in senior leadership roles and staff who were registered
professionals were significantly more likely than those in
non-registered professions to report:
- holding positive Research Views (p =.033), with significant
differences holding for each question item
- recalling significant changes to practice based on research
(p =.041)
- recalling applying research (p =.007)
- attending a course related to using research to inform decision-making
(p =.038)
- explaining evidence to service users (p =.002)
- having received formal training on literature reviewing
(p =.005)
- having conducted their own research (p =.012)
- having participated in a research study (p <.001)
The survey returns allowed for comparisons between two leading
professional groups in adult social care. With respect to all staff
grades (registered and non-registered professionals) those working in
occupational therapy were more likely than those in social work to have:
- Received formal literature review training (p =.028)
- Conducted a literature review (p =.008)
- Be familiar with critical appraisal (p =.013)
- Received training in critical appraisal (p =.006)
There were no differences between those in occupational therapy and
social work/care in terms of:
- Research Views (p =.461)
- Ever having attended a course using research for decision making
(p =.596)
- Been asked by service users to explain evidence (p =.220)
- Recalling significant change to practice due to research findings
(p =.100)
When a comparison was made between those who had “worked in social care
up to 10 years” and those who had “worked in social care for 11 years
or over” (a similar comparison to that made by Gray et al, 2014), there
were no significant differences in terms of Research Views, practice
changes resulting from research findings, and other key variables. The
only difference was that respondents who had worked in social care for
11 years or over and who were also on higher grades, were more likely to
have attended a course related to using research in evidence-based
practice (p =.034).
Multiple comparisons identified no differences between recency of
qualification or age groups, with the exception that those aged over 39
years were more likely to positively rate their ability to apply
research (p =.026)
There was little difference between the three local authorities in terms
of the patterns of response. Compared to Local Authorities C and B,
practitioners in Local Authority A were less positive in terms of their
Research Views (p =.026) and had less experience of having
conducted research (p =.049). However, this difference may be
attributed to a lower proportion of senior leaders and management staff
respondents in Local Authority A than the other authorities
(p =.05).