Pioneering allied health research

15 Sep 2023

St John of God Health Care Group Allied Health and Rehabilitation Research Lead Sangeeta Rathi, together with St John of God Midland Public and Private Hospitals Allied Health Research Lead Dave Parsons and former Group Manager Allied Health Rachel Resuggan, completed the research which focused on benchmarking the research capacity of allied health clinicians in a national private health care organisation.

Published in the Australian Health Review and also accessible via biomedical journal PubMed, Sangeeta said the study was the first-of-its-kind in the private health system. 

“We found there were a number of studies done in the Australian public health system on this topic, but nothing in the private health system. It’s significant because it puts us at the forefront of allied health research and allows us to pave the way for the private health care sector,” Sangeeta said.

“We invited all allied health caregivers across St John of God Health Care to participate in our survey to find out where they stood on research, including what their needs are, their motivations and the barriers to participating in research.

“As an organisation investing in allied health research, this study allowed us to understand our starting point and what we need to do to enable our allied health caregivers to flourish in the research space.

“It’s not just helpful for our organisation to know the baseline of research capacity – it’s great for any private health care organisation in Australia, because they may find their clinicians are struggling with the same barriers, restraints or limitations to be active in research.”

The study found participants were motivated to complete research 'to develop skills', for 'improved job satisfaction' and 'career advancement', and the barriers to participating in research were 'lack of time', 'lack of resources' and 'other work roles taking priority'.

“What we know is the barriers and motivators are similar to the public health system, however, there was a perceived lesser amount of support and resources in the private health system,” she said.

“The good news is, from an organisational standpoint, we are on the right track as far as reducing or removing those barriers or limitations in allied health research.

“Over the last year, as part of our Allied Health Research Framework 2021 – 2026, we have introduced dedicated research positions, including our research office and research director, to promote and support research across all levels of our organisation – my position being one of them.

“We have also introduced research scholarships and fellowships to support allied health caregivers in research.

“However, our study tells us that we need to do more allied health-specific research training, and continue to prioritise allied health research through funding and time, so our clinicians have the resources available to succeed in research.”

Sangeeta said research in allied health is important for advancements in patient care.

“We know the important role that our allied health caregivers play in improving our patient’s wellbeing at all stages along their hospital journey,” she said.

“By promoting a culture of evidence-based practice and supporting these clinicians to complete research and advance their knowledge, we expect to see it directly translate into better patient outcomes.”

The study was presented by Rachel Resuggan at the National Allied Health Conference from 7 to 9 August in Perth.

“Rachel and Dave’s leadership and contribution was crucial to the success of this study and I look forward to seeing St John of God Health Care continue to take the lead in allied health research into the future,” Sangeeta said.