What do we mean by research?

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Research is about generating new knowledge that could lead to changes to treatments, policies or care. It provides the data to inform evidence-based practice and policies.

It includes a broad range of topics, for example:

  • Clinical research into the discovery and development of medical treatments.
  • Evaluation and development of care models and pathways.
  • Research into methods of diagnosing, monitoring and predicting health.
  • Social care research into how to improve people’s lives and help them live well.
  • Public health research into population health issues, prevention of ill health and reduction of health inequalities.
  • Management research into efficiency of delivering health and care.

Research can be any size or scale: from a short project with local application, to a multi-million-pound programme with global application.

Research is one of a range of ways we can improve health and care. Related activities which may lead to research or stem from research include:

  • Audit evaluates practice against standards or criteria to ensure adherence of care against evidence-based guidelines and best practices.
  • Quality improvement processes identify areas of care which can be improved to achieve better patient outcomes.
  • Development is the application of research to create prototypes or pilot schemes.
  • Innovation refers to the development and implementation of new ideas, technologies, and processes that improve the quality and efficiency of health and care services.
  • Evaluation uses measurement and analysis to learn how well a service or intervention is achieving its outcomes, to assess its value.

Involvement in Research

Anyone in the health and care sector, in any profession or role, can play a part in research. They may:

  • Lead their field and be a principal or co-investigator on a project.
  • Identify areas where research could be beneficial and advise and support researchers.
  • Play a role in recruiting people to research studies or delivering research.
  • Collect or analyse data for projects.
  • Promote or help explain research to the public.
  • Use evidence from research to inform decision-making and practice.
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