What is it about?
Research helps improve healthcare, but research activity remains less established in primary care than in hospitals. This systematic review examined 21 international studies exploring the barriers and facilitators affecting primary care staff participation in research. Five key themes were identified: beliefs about research, time and funding, skills and knowledge, administration and support, and communication. While staff generally recognised the value of research, they often felt constrained by limited time, competing priorities, insufficient training and a lack of organisational support.
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Why is it important?
Primary care is where most people first access healthcare, making it an important setting for generating evidence that improves patient outcomes and service delivery. However, if staff lack the time, skills or support to participate in research, opportunities to improve care may be missed. This review highlights that research participation is influenced not only by resources, but also by confidence, leadership, workplace culture and effective communication. Understanding these factors can help organisations create environments where research becomes a routine part of practice rather than an additional burden.
Perspectives
The findings suggest that creating a research-active primary care workforce requires more than simply encouraging participation. Research must be embedded within organisational culture through protected time, appropriate training, administrative support and visible leadership. Importantly, communication emerged as a key facilitator throughout the research process, from study design and recruitment to sharing findings after completion. By supporting all members of the primary care team to contribute to research, healthcare organisations can strengthen evidence-based practice, build research capacity and improve care for the communities they serve
Prof Michael J Tatterton
University of Bradford
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Barriers and facilitators to primary care staff conducting research – a qualitative systematic review, European Journal of General Practice, August 2025, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.1080/13814788.2025.2539777.
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