Implementation science challenges: hearing care professionals identify barriers to clinical research

Objectives: Conducting research in clinical settings is challenging. The aim of this study was to increase our understanding of hearing care professionals’ perceptions of barriers to participating in such research. Design: A modified group concept mapping approach was used to gain anonymous responses from 124 hearing care professionals to the statement: “One reason why it is hard to conduct intervention research studies in my centre/practice is….”. Participants were asked for reasons other than ‘time’ as this is universally reported as a barrier to clinical research. Results: A total of 107 distinct reasons were provided by participants and these were sorted into 5 clusters: “Competing demands/pressures” (18 statements), “Not a priority for management/organisation” (14 statements), “Lack of opportunity/support” (19 statements), “Clinician’s knowledge, confidence, and beliefs” (24 statements), and “Recruitment/adherence to protocols is challenging” (32 statements). Identified barriers were generally similar to those reported in other healthcare settings, with unique barriers being those associated with a fear of scrutiny and lack of trust in the “academic elite”. Conclusion: Findings highlight the importance of researchers, clinicians, and clinic managers working together at all stages of the research process in order for clinical research to be successful.