Developing a sustainable approach to research capacity building for the Queensland Branch, Australasian Faculty Rehabilitation Medicine (AFRM)

About the Project

The Queensland Branch of AFRM is leading a study to strengthen the research capacity of AFRM physicians and trainees.  The study team successfully competed for an Education Development Grant from the Royal Australian College of Physicians (RACP).  The 12-month project is a partnership between the Queensland Branch of AFRM and The Hopkins Centre, Griffith University, and will be completed by 30 June 2025.

Rehabilitation medicine physicians and trainees have high-level clinical skills and expertise, but research activity may be inhibited by time pressures and insufficient experience and skills.  Recent local research confirmed this, also finding a gap  between high research interest and low research capacity.  Many Queensland rehabilitation medicine physicians and trainees are either not engaged in relevant research, or unaware of resources available to support them.  This Education Development Grant will be used to develop research capacity building  education program for AFRM Queensland Branch advanced trainees.  It is hoped that it will be a building block towards the longer term aim of substantially increased research participation and productivity within the specialty in Queensland.  The funding will enable an existing Hopkins Centre Research Fellow experienced in research capacity building activities to work specifically on this project.  The project will be supported by the Queensland AFRM committee, research-interested specialists in Rehabilitation medicine training sites, and Hopkins Centre researchers who will all provide their time in-kind. 

The proposed initiative will be primarily directed towards AFRM Queensland Branch advanced trainees and comprise a targeted survey to better understand needs and opportunities, integration of existing self-directed online learning packages, tailored educational workshops, lectures embedded in Queensland branch teaching curriculum, formation of a Rehabilitation Medicine Research Support Special Interest Group (SIG) and the compilation of a Rehabilitation Research Supervisor State-wide Register.  Parallel initiatives will include incentivising excellence in research through awards and prizes, and strengthening collaboration between the Queensland Branch and external stakeholders such as The Hopkins Centre and the Australasian Rehabilitation Outcomes Centre. 

This Queensland Rehabilitation Medicine Research Capacity Building Project will set in place a foundational building block which results in future Queensland Rehabilitation medicine physicians and trainees with high-level research skills, engagement, participation and productivity, and who are leaders and/or significant collaborators in research which translates to improved outcomes and quality of life for people with illness, injury or disability who requiring rehabilitation.