other
than time to using research in practice.
So what are some of the barriers to why
people
are not using research as often as we
think they should.
There's a lack of value for research and
practice.
There's a lack of understanding of
organizations or structure
of the electronic databases that are
available to us.
Some people have difficulty accessing
research materials.
And some people lack computer skills and
other's have a difficulty of understanding
research articles.
We know there is a gap between research
and practice.
One of the issues is a time gap between
research findings and implementation.
One example is a bit extreme, but
interesting.
In 1601, it was discovered that there was
a
benefit of having lime and sauerkraut to
prevent scurvy.
But not until 1975 were there rations
containing vitamin C
that were required on boats for people who
are out to sea for a long period of time.
As you can see over 300 years in
the gap between understanding science and
actually changing practice.
Levels of evidence is another issue.
We know that all research is not equal.
There's lowest levels of evidence, where
it might just be one person's opinion.
And then there's the highest level of
research, which
is really where you have multiple, maybe
randomized control
trials, which can really make a difference
in our
understanding of what's going to be
beneficial to our patients.
So what we want to do is integrate
evidence into practice.
We need a plan where we can involve all of
those affected by
the change in the planning process,
identify the outcomes, and implement a
pilot.
We want to correct at mid-course, so if we
do have an intervention, or we are trying
to
implement a new plan, we have some way of
evaluating to see if we need to change
mid-course.