Getting research into practice: The challenge for improvement in healthcare

Abstract

Getting research into practice requires the integration of explicit knowledge, often called evidence and obtained from research, with tacit knowledge obtained from the experiences of healthcare professionals in their daily practice. This integrated "useful knowledge" informs decision-making by professionals and produces change in clinical practice. Responding to this challenge requires both the creation of explicit knowledge that is "useful", including commissioning and performing research that is highly relevant to healthcare professionals in their daily practice, and developing opportunities for healthcare professionals to create and share their tacit knowledge, such as through action research groups.