Building sustainable rural research capacity: the experiences of a brain injury rehabilitation service.
There is an emerging recognition of the need for health research that is conducted by and for rural people. Rural research promotes excellence in clinical practice and can improve staff recruitment and retention. A group of clinicians from a regional brain injury service collaborated with academics at their local university to form the Rural Rehabilitation Research on Brain Injury initiative. This initiative has funded four peer-reviewed research projects, secured an Australian Research Council grant and established the beginnings of a state-wide rural research collective involving all Brain Injury Rehabilitation Programs in New South Wales. Sustainable research enterprises such as this have significant potential as a 'prototype' for building research capacity in other rural health sectors. Governments and funding bodies should support these initiatives.
Salmon
Lizette
L
South West Brain Injury Rehabilitation Service, Charles Sturt University, Albury, New South Wales, Australia.
Curtin
Michael
M
Ginnivan
Denis
D
Neumayer
Robert
R
D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D003659:Decision Making, Organizational; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D007373:Interinstitutional Relations; D017146:Models, Organizational; D009517:New South Wales; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D016730:Program Development; D012046:Rehabilitation / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012106:Research / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012109:Research Support as Topic / Q000458:organization & administration; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*