How do I keep this live in my mind?” Allied Health Professionals’ perspectives of barriers and enablers to implementing Good Clinical Practice principles in research: A qualitative exploration
Rachel Wenke1, Rebecca Angus1, Shelley Roberts1,2, Maame Owusu1, Kelly Weir3,4 1Gold Coast Health, Parkwood, Queensland, Australia2Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia3University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia4Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Good Clinical Practice (GCP) is an international set of principles that guide research conduct to protect participants and enhance data integrity. Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) are expected to adhere to GCP principles when conducting research, however no studies have explored AHP’s perceptions of implementing these standards. To address this gap, we aimed to identify barriers and enablers for AHPs in applying GCP principles to research in a public hospital and health service, and their perceived support needs.
METHODS
We took a qualitative-descriptive approach guided by behaviour change theory. AHPs undertaking ethically-approved research within a single hospital and health service were interviewed with questions guided by the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF).
RESULTS
Ten AHPs from six professions participated. Both enablers and barriers to implementing GCP were identified across nine domains of the TDF, alongside enablers across three additional domains. Enablers included strong beliefs about GCP’s importance in increasing research rigour, access to training, and alignment with their moral sense to ‘do the right thing’. Barriers included reduced time to implement processes, a sense of ‘red tape’, incomplete knowledge of GCP principles and fear of making mistakes. Suggestions for support beyond GCP training included having prescriptive resources and one-on-one mentoring.
CONCLUSIONS
While clinicians recognise the importance of GCP, they report barriers to its practical implementation. GCP training may be more useful when tailored to the allied heath context and supplemented with check-ups from experienced researchers and access to prescriptive resources. Future research is needed to investigate the effectiveness of such strategies.
Biography
Dr Rachel Wenke is a Principal Research Fellow and currently acting as Director of Allied Health Research at Gold Coast Health where she has co-designed, implemented and evaluated a number of national and internationally recognised research capacity building initiatives. Rachel has a passion for seeing clinicians answer clinically important research questions whilst building their confidence and skills in research. She has mentored over 30 clinicians undertake research projects in multiple areas including management of adult communication and swallowing disorders and innovative models of care to enhance patient and service outcomes.