References
Integrating clinical research into paramedic practice:current trends and influences
Abstract
This article aims to evaluate some of the major influencing factors on the integration of research into paramedic practice. It looks at national research and development policies, the paramedic role, training developments, the influence of the College of Paramedics and the HPC, research funding bodies, support of organisational structures and ambulance culture. It also looks at the collaborative research between ambulance services and academic institutions and how these influencing factors impact on the integration of research into practice in the pre-hospital setting. Strategies are proposed to overcome some of the barriers to the integration of clinical and research practice by the paramedic. These focus on changing national policy to promote greater clinician involvement in research and greater communication between UK universities and research networks to make academic research careers more accessible to university-trained paramedics. The development of roles within ambulance trusts to incorporate both clinical practice and research engagement is also discussed as well as a focus on increasing the College of Paramedics’ representation of the profession to enable more paramedics to access opportunities to become actively involved in research.
As a practising paramedic on the health professionals council (HPC) register and a masters student of clinical research at the University of Southampton, the author is interested in current influencing factors on the integration of clinical research into paramedic practice. This article looks at national research and development policies, the paramedic role, training developments, the influence of the College of Paramedics and the HPC, research funding bodies, support of organisational structures, ambulance culture, collaborative research between ambulance services and academic institutions, as well as how these factors impact on the integration of research into practice in the pre-hospital setting. Finally, this article will then suggest strategies for overcoming some of the barriers to the integration of clinical and research practice by the paramedic.
Several current UK national health policies are focused on the promotion of clinical research in healthcare. In the white paper entitled Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS (Department of Health (DH), 2010a) the promotion and conduct of research is described as a core National Health Service (NHS) role. The Health and Social Care Act passed by Parliament on 27 March 2012 places duties on the Secretary of State, the board and clinical commissioning groups to have regard for the need to promote research within the health service (DH, 2012a). The research governance Framework for Health and Social Care (DH, 2005a) states that ‘all service and academic staff, no matter how senior or junior, have a role to play in the conduct of research.’
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