Why Every Clinic Can Contribute to Research

After publishing Research Begins in the Clinic, I received several messages from clinicians that all centred around the same idea.

It is an honest question and something I can resonate with as a clinician.

For many of us, research feels like something that happens somewhere else. For example, in universities, hospitals or specialist research centres and distant from the realities of private practice.

But perhaps we've been thinking about research from the wrong perspective.

Universities play an important role in research.

They provide expertise in methodology, statistics and scientific rigour.

But as touched upon in the previous edition, universities don't generate the clinical questions that matter most.

Just to reiterate; clinicians observe patterns, notice unexpected outcomes and adapt their management based on what they see.

"Why did this patient recover more quickly than expected?"

"Why do patients with similar presentations respond differently?"

"Could we measure this more effectively?"

These aren't simply clinical observations. They are the starting point of research.

Without clinicians asking meaningful questions, researchers would have very little to investigate.

One of the primary goal in my role as research chair at osteopaths New Zealand is not simply to produce more publications.

It is to help build a research ecosystem.

An ecosystem where:

Every part of that ecosystem is important.

If one clinic begins collecting patient outcomes, it gains a better understanding of its own patients.

If ten clinics contribute, we begin to identify patterns.

This is how sustainable research grows.

Not through a handful of researchers working in isolation.

But through clinicians, researchers, educators and patients working together.

Today, osteopaths across New Zealand are already helping to build this research ecosystem. They are participating in PROMs initiatives, contributing to national surveys, mentoring students, presenting at conferences and collaborating on research that seeks to answer questions arising directly from clinical practice.

This month, I'd like to leave you with one simple question.

Perhaps it is a patient group that responds unexpectedly.

Perhaps it is an outcome you've noticed repeatedly.

Perhaps it is a question you've asked yourself for years but never had the opportunity to explore.

Write it down.

Discuss it with a colleague.

Share it with the ONZ/your professions Research Committee.

Because every important research project begins with someone who is curious enough to ask a better question.

We often say that research improves clinical practice.

I think the relationship works both ways.

Clinical practice improves research.

The patients we care for, the challenges we encounter and the questions we ask every day determine the research our profession needs.

Every clinic—regardless of its size, location or experience—has something valuable to contribute.

Because research is not defined by where you work.

It is defined by a willingness to remain curious, to reflect on practice and to keep asking,

What Matters Most to Patients?

Before we talk about measuring outcomes, perhaps we should first ask an even more important question.

Are we measuring what matters most to us… or what matters most to our patients?