Creating a sustainable and supportive health research environment across rural and remote Australia: a call to action

The positive impact of evidence-based practice on health service performance and health outcomes is well described. Marita Titler, an expert in evidence-based practice from the United States, has observed that “only by putting into practice what is learned from research will care be made safer”. However, the consistent and widespread application of evidence-based health care is largely dependent on a health service's research culture and the research capacity of its staff.

It is therefore important to build research capacity, as this improves the ability of clinicians to apply new knowledge to improve health outcomes...