Using knowledge brokering activities to promote allied health clinicians’ engagement in research: a qualitative exploration

INTRODUCTION: Engaging clinicians in research can improve healthcare organisational performance, patient and staff satisfaction. Emerging evidence suggests that knowledge brokering activities potentially support clinicians’ research engagement, but it is unclear how best they should be used. OBJECTIVES: This study explores how embedded researchers utilised knowledge brokering activities to engage research interested clinicians in research. DESIGN: A longitudinal qualitative interview based study was co-designed to investigate how experienced research fellows utilise knowledge brokering activities to facilitate allied health clinicians’ engagement in research. SETTING: In one large tertiary level, regional Australian health service, research fellows were matched with research interested clinicians. METHODS: Qualitative analysis of three longitudinal semi-structured interviews for each research fellow was undertaken. Initial descriptions of their utilisation of knowledge brokering activities were deductively coded. Reflexive thematic analysis was utilised to generate a shared explanation of clinicians’ engagement in research. RESULTS: Three research fellows facilitated 21 clinicians’ participation in and leadership of clinical research projects over 12 months. They utilised all ten key knowledge brokering activities with each clinician, with differing patterns and examples. Research fellows described using linkage and exchange activities of communicating and collaborating with key stakeholders, and they tailored knowledge management products for individual’s engagement. Further, they described a broader learning journey where they clarified and monitored individuals’ capabilities, motivation and their contextual support for research engagement. CONCLUSION: When research fellows chose and tailored knowledge brokering activities to align and extend clinicians’ research capabilities and motivation, they created individualised learning curriculums to support clinicians’ participation in and leadership of local research projects. Health and academic leaders should consider structuring embedded researcher positions to include knowledge brokering roles and activities, specifically for research interested clinicians who are ready to participate in and lead research projects.