Radiography (2004) 10, 229e233

REVIEW ARTICLE

The Society of Radiographers’ research strategy

Pauline Reevesa,), Caroline Wrightb, Susan Shelleyb, Pat Williamsc

aX-Ray Department, Arrowe Park Hospital, Upton, Wirral, UK, CH49 5PEbSociety of Radiographers, London, UKcAnglia Polytechnic University, Cambridge, UK

Received 6 December 2002; revised 9 January 2004; accepted 26 March 2004

Abstract A research strategy for the radiography profession was approved by theCouncil of the Society & College of Radiographers at the end of 2001.This paper dis-cusses the formulation of that strategy, including the factors that lay behind its de-velopment. The recommendations of the strategy are then addressed one by one,together with a review as to their implementation by the College’s Research Group.ª 2004 The College of Radiographers. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

KEYWORDSRadiography;Radiotherapy;Research

Introduction

The publication of a number of policy decisionsand statements about research from both the Gov-ernment and the newly formed Research Forum forAllied Health Professions Forum (RFAHP) has em-phasised the need for a strategic framework forresearch in the health professions that promotesa coherent approach. Feedback from groups suchas the Allied Health Professions Forum indicatedthat Radiography was lagging behind other profes-sions, such as Physiotherapy and OccupationalTherapy, in not having a research strategy for itsown profession.

The objectives for which the Society (and Col-lege) of Radiographers (SCoR) was established in-clude the following:

(1) To promote and develop, for the public bene-fit, the science and practice of radiography and

) Corresponding author. Tel.: D44-151-678-5111x2985.E-mail address: pauline.reeves@whnt.nhs.uk (P. Reeves).

1078-8174/$ - see front matter ª 2004 The College of Radiographdoi:10.1016/j.radi.2004.03.010

radiotherapeutic technology and allied sub-jects;

(2) To promote study and research work inradiography and radiotherapeutic technologyand allied subjects and to publish the results ofall such study and research;

(3) To further public education therein.

Implicit in the above objectives is the need fora robust research and development (R&D) strategy.The Society initially set up a Research Group in 1994with a remit to develop a research strategy for theprofession. The central focus of that group was to:

‘‘Encourage all radiographers to engage inresearch, so that radiographers adopt anapproach to practice consistent with the verybest in medical practice in which research isclearly seen as a normal and expected part ofradiographic practice.’’1

Since that was written, evolutionary change hastaken place during the 1990s leading to a numberof important professional developments. First,peer-reviewed journals have been established

ers. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

230 P. Reeves et al.

signifying to the outside world that there is enoughresearch taking place in radiography to justify theneed for publications specific to our profession.Second, there are now a large number of taughtMasters’ courses with many radiographers alreadyqualified at this level. Moreover, the number of ra-diographers with a PhD (or in the process of achiev-ing this goal) is steadily growing. In addition, since1996 university Departments of Radiography havebeen able to submit their research to the UK Re-search Assessment Exercise (RAE), with some gain-ing very good results.2 All these developmentssuggest that the climate should now be more con-ducive to research, although it is clear that theprofession in general is still very far from thegoal where research is considered to be an integralpart of practice. However, there have been, andstill are, a number of barriers to achieving thisaim, for instance:

� Lack of career pathway� Severe shortage of staff in some departments� Lack of funding or inequity of funding across

departments� Lack of confidence on the part of radiographers

Alongside this changing climate within the pro-fession, there have also been a number of impor-tant moves by the Government to address majorconcerns about the education and training of NHSstaff. Publications such as ‘A Health Service of allthe Talents’3 have focussed on the nature of theprofessions as they move into the 21st century.

The next section will examine how the Societyof Radiographers convened a working group to de-velop a new research strategy. Following on fromthis, the recommendations and strategic frame-work which emerged from the strategy will be dis-cussed, together with indicators of the progressachieved to date. Some of these issues, particularlythe lack of funding, were recognized in a report byHEFCE, which argued that nursing and allied healthprofessions were under-funded relative both to thesize of the professions and when compared withother professions.4

Method

When reviewing its policy on research, the inten-tion of the SCoR was to produce a strategy whichaddressed the needs of the profession whilst rec-ognising that the approach to research should takenote of the numerous reports and recommenda-tions on this theme published by a range of rele-vant organisations.4e6

On the recommendation of the Director of Pro-fessional Development, the Council of the Societyof Radiographers agreed to set up and fund an ex-pert focus group of members with appropriate re-search skills and knowledge from both educationand clinical practice whose task was to developa research strategy for the profession. The mem-bers of the group met several times during thesummer/autumn of 2001. The strategy was devisedusing a multi-method technique which included:

� An initial SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, oppor-tunities, threats) analysis of the situationwithin radiography with respect to researchas it was at the time

� Brainstorming� Desk research of other relevant publications

including the Society’s previous strategydocument.

Focus groups actively utilise communication be-tween participants as a means of generating data.7

The use of representatives from education andclinical practice (including both therapy and diag-nostic members) was a deliberate attempt to max-imise the range of perspectives and expertiseavailable to the group and thus to try and producea strategy which could be as all encompassing aspossible and, hopefully, one which the professionas a whole might feel able to subscribe to.

Groupexercises (suchas the SWOTanalysis) areanaccepted method to use within focus group work asthey act as an analytical tool for the group, indeed‘‘such exercises encourage participants to concen-trate on one another.and force them to explaintheir different perspectives’’.7 The use of brain-storming, group exercises and ongoing literatureresearch provided a range of perspectives for thegroup and enabled triangulation of the data, sothat over the series of meetings a consensus beganto emerge as to what form the strategy should take.

Outcomes

Communication with members and others(Recommendation 1)

The Society will support the collection of both base-line and ongoing data to evaluate the extent ofcurrent research capacity and capability withinthe radiography profession. It was felt that anystrategy would be meaningless without this infor-mation.

The first aim is to establish the number of ra-diographers who hold or are registered for a PhD(including doctorates in education or equivalent),

Society’s research strategy 231

and those who hold, or who are studying for Mas-ter’s degrees (both research and taught degrees).Second, the Research Group will collect data toprovide an overview of current research activityand funding.

Actions and achievements so far

In January 2003 a questionnaire was mailed to allhigher education institutions (HEIs) involved withradiographer education in the UK requesting de-tails of higher degree holders and ongoing researchby individuals. This has been followed up recentlyby a request to all HEIs to place abstracts of allcompleted postgraduate research projects (MSc/MPhil/PhD) on their websites.

Influencing the wider researchagenda to facilitate opportunities(Recommendation 2)

The Society aims to promote the involvement ofradiographers in the formulation, implementationand evaluation of research and research policy.This was identified as a need at all levelsdnational,regional and local.

Actions and achievements so far

� Promotion of an informed radiography/radio-therapy perspective when responding to policyconsultation documents

� Consultation with other members of the AlliedHealth Professions Forum when the provision ofa joint response or perspective is deemed to beadvantageous

� Inclusion of the details of such policy responseson the Society website when appropriate. Anumber of such responses have been formulatedand details are listed on the Society’s website(http://www.sor.org) in the Professional section.

� Encouragement to members to conduct re-search and to use research findings to influencepolicy where appropriate

� Recommend that there is a research represen-tative on each of the SoR Regional Councils. Aletter to this effect was sent to all RegionalCouncils in Spring 2003 requesting nominations.

� Promote the inclusion of radiographers in R&Dpolicy formulation and related groups at anational, regional and local level. This has metwith some success and again details areincluded on the Society’s website.

Ensuring research happens(Recommendation 3)

The SCoR will encourage the development of re-search centres. It was felt that the existence of re-search centres would promote the benefits ofpooled resources, multidisciplinary expertise andproven experience to compete successfully forscarce resources. Research and development(R&D) links between higher education and the NHSwould particularly be encouraged. This was sup-ported by the HEFCE report4 which advocated fund-ing allocation on the basis of quality, to allowresearch centres to compete internationally intheir areas of strength.

It was felt that capacity and capability wouldgrow where there was leadership offered to a com-munity of researchers, both experienced and nov-ice. Members would also benefit from education,training and mentorship. This development wouldbe strategically beneficial since public and charityfunding organisations are moving towards central-ised models.4,5

Proposed actions and achievements so far

� The SCoR will promote the need for and lobbyfor funding to develop research centres withnetworks and partnerships.

� Where Research Centres are deemed to al-ready exist, the SCoR will promote links withclinical departments. The Research Group willpromote the establishment of a special in-terest group for research, with the aim ofidentifying areas of expertise and bringingtogether people with similar research intereststo promote collaboration.

� The SCoR will look at benefits of establishingpartnerships to promote funding and othersupport for academic and/or clinical research-ers. The Research Group is looking to formaliselinks with SCoR Clinical Effectiveness groupsand has established reciprocity of membershipwith the Council for Radiography EducationDirectors (CRED).

Research Group seminar

As part of Recommendation 3, the Research Groupheld a seminar in London in April 2003 to reviewthe results of the 2001 Research Assessment Exer-cise (RAE) and to establish current barriers to re-search in radiography. Members of the ResearchGroup attended together with interested partiesfrom across the UK including numerous academics

232 P. Reeves et al.

and research radiographers. At the end of theevent, those attending were asked to fill in a shortquestionnaire which asked them to identify threepriorities for radiography research. Twenty-tworespondents completed the questionnaires. This in-formation was analysed and coded using qualitativeresearch software and the priorities identified arelisted below.

� Clinical effectiveness/evidence based practice� Clinical research� Dose & protection issues� Education research� Policy & occupational standards� Profile & structure of radiography profession� Promotion of research ethos within the pro-

fession� Recruitment & retention� Role development� Technology� The patient experience� Working lives of radiographers

Evidence based culture(Recommendation 4)

The Society and College will promote the need forprofessional responsibility and self regulation re-garding research capacity within its membership.All radiographers should be research aware/usersof research as part of ongoing professional prac-tice. The SCoR will seek to promote an evaluativeand evidence based culture in the work place,which will complement clinical and research gov-ernance initiatives.3

Furthermore, the SCoR proposes a target for in-creasing the number of research active radiogra-phers. This target has been based on theprospective baseline data on research capabilityand capacity and it is proposed that the aim shouldbe for 1% of the profession to be research active by2006. The Society and College views this proposalas essential for creating a number of self-sustain-ing communities of researchers.

Actions and achievements so far

� The Society will lobby the Department of Health(DoH) for improved access to the internet formembers and encourage members to use theNational Electronic library for health. This isongoing.

� All education programmes are expected to bebased on the best possible research evidence

and the College will continue to monitor this,through its validation processes.

� When the SCoR electronic Continuing Profes-sional Development (CPD) portfolio is reviewedsome research examples will be incorporatedinto the text to encourage members to evalu-ate the effects of research on practice.

� The SCoR will seek to achieve a target of 1% ofthe radiography population being researchactive by 2006. (This is in line with targetsset by other Allied Health professions).

Implementation (Recommendation 5)

The SCoR supports expanding the range of careeroptions in terms of establishing joint researchpractitioner posts. Implementing this recommen-dation will improve career development and re-tention of staff. It will also help to promote anevaluative culture and break down research andpractice barriers.

Newly appointed Consultant radiographers willbe expected to collaborate in or contribute to re-search, which will result in service developments.It is anticipated that consultants will be on honor-ary academic contracts from Higher EducationInstitutions (HEIs), which will enhance the linksbetween education and clinical settings. The de-velopment of such links was identified as a priorityby respondents at the Research Group seminarheld in April 2003.

This practice will be encouraged by the SCoRand was also recommended in the HEFCE report4

which advocated the development of ‘innovativeapproaches to the creation of roles straddlingacademia and practice’.

Proposed actions and achievements so far

� The SCoR will lobby UK Health Departments,Education Confederations and similar bodiesthroughout the UK to fund joint researchpractitioner posts. The SCoR will promote thevalue of staff secondment, to encourage moremembers to be research active and enhancetheir career opportunities in research andother settings. This will include the creationof visiting research posts.

� The SCoR will investigate, as part of its careerdevelopment work, the feasibility of EducationCentres introducing professional doctoratesalongside PhDs. At least two centres arecurrently working on this.

� Members will be encouraged to set up a specialinterest group (SIG) to provide a focus for

Society’s research strategy 233

researchers. The aim is to encourage collabo-ration and to provide a network of support andmentorship for research active members.

� The SCoR disseminates research informationincluding key research findings and sources ofresearch funding on its website and in Synergynews.

� The SCoR will advise on and monitor theappointment of Consultant radiographers, toensure their role as clinical research leadersfor the profession. The Society has announcedthe formation of a network group for Con-sultants which will help to undertake thisfunction.8

Summary and ongoing work

At the outset, the SCoR identified the need fora new research strategy which would have rele-vance to all members. In view of the numberof recent publications which are strongly recom-mending the need to improve the research capac-ity and capability in Nursing and the AHPs, thedevelopment and implementation of the strategyis both timely and relevant.4e6,9 The draft strate-gic vision paper was received and approved bythe Council in Autumn 2001. Using the draft strat-egy as a framework, the SCoR now has a ResearchGroup working to produce a 5-year strategic planwhich prioritizes targets and actions. RegionalCouncils across the UK will be asked to providebaseline data which will further inform the strate-gic plan. The plan will subsequently be reviewedevery year by the Society’s Research Group andthe National and Regional Councils will receiveevaluation summaries on the implementation ofthe strategy.

The recommendations outlined have, as theircentral purpose, the need to make research a fun-damental component of professional practice. This

principle is fully supported by all the importantstakeholders in the NHS and in Higher Education.

The strategy places a responsibility on the SCoRto lead, facilitate and promote major culturalchange in order to integrate research, educationand professional practice for the benefit of healthcare and health outcomes.

Although the professional body will lead on pol-icy and relevant actions, individual members areacknowledged as having a personal responsibilityto take this agenda forward in terms of their pro-fessional practice. Whilst identifying the uniquecontribution that the discipline of radiographycan make to research and development, the strat-egy also recognises the importance of collabora-tion and partnership.

It is hoped that a general acceptance of thestrategy by the profession will provide the firststep in the critical process of implementation.Only then can we look forward to a future whenresearch is an established and accepted activityat all levels of professional practice.

References

1. Society & College of Radiographers. Research strategy; 1994.2. http://www.hero.ac.uk.3. Department of Health. A health service of all the talents:

developing the NHS workforce; 2000.4. HEFCE. Research in Nursing & Allied Health Professions.

Report November 01/63; 2001.5. Research Forum for Allied Health Professions. Towards

a strategy for research & development in the Allied Healthprofessions: proposals for action; 2001.

6. Department of Health. Meeting the challenge: a strategy forthe allied health professions; 2000.

7. Mays N, Pope C. Qualitative research in health care. BMJPublishing Group; 1996.

8. Synergy News. January p. 1; 2004.9. Wales Office of Research & Development for Health & Social

Care. Research governance framework for health & socialcare in Wales; 2001.