Perceived motivators and barriers to research engagement for psychologists in an Australian public healthcare service: insights from the research capacity and culture survey

Objective Building capacity to embed research into care is central to improving healthcare delivery. Psychologists are well equipped and uniquely positioned to conduct clinical research given the significant research component of clinical training. Despite this, relatively little is known about how psychologists working in Australian public health rate their own skills and capacity for research at a team and organisational level. Methods Ninety-two psychologists working at Monash Health, Victoria, Australia completed the validated Research Capacity and Culture tool and answered questions relating to perceived barriers and motivators to research engagement in their clinical roles. Results While psychologists rated their own individual capacity to engage in research as high, they perceived the research skills and success of their clinical teams and the organisation as low to moderate. Inductive content analyses revealed constraints of clinical role, lack of system/infrastructure, and lack of organisational/team visibility as barriers to research engagement, whereas drive for clinical excellence, internal motivation and a positive team culture were highlighted as motivators. Conclusions We discuss the potential untapped resource of psychologists in Australian public health who are interested and skilled to engage in research but perceive challenges of a lack of research capacity and culture within their team and organisation.