“How do I keep this live in my mind?” Allied Health Professionals’ perspectives of barriers and enablers to implementing Good Clinical Practice in research: A qualitative exploration guided by behaviour change theory

Abstract BACKGROUND Allied health professionals (AHPs) engaged in research are encouraged to comply with Good Clinical Practice (GCP) principles to protect participant safety and wellbeing and enhance data integrity. Currently, there is limited exploration into health professionals’ perceptions of implementing and adhering to GCP standards in research. Such knowledge is vital to guide future interventions to increase GCP adherence. METHODS This qualitative descriptive study, guided by behaviour change theory, aimed to identify the barriers and enablers AHPs experience when applying GCP principles to research conduct in a public hospital and health service, as well as their perceived support needs. AHPs currently undertaking ethically approved research within a public health service in Queensland, Australia were interviewed to explore barriers and enablers to GCP adherence and support needs, with interview questions guided by the Theoretical Domains Framework. RESULTS Ten AHPs across six professions were interviewed. Participants identified several enablers to implementing GCP. These included strong beliefs about the importance of GCP in increasing research rigour and participant safety; existing clinical skills and personal attributes they can apply when implementing, available training and support; and alignment with their moral sense to ‘do the right thing’. Barriers to GCP implementation were generally less commonly reported but included reduced time to implement GCP and a sense of ‘red tape’, a lack of knowledge of GCP principles and a fear of making mistakes, and varying relevance to individual projects. Several suggestions for support were identified beyond training, such as physical resources (e.g., prescriptive checklists, templates and scripts), additional time, and regular one-on-one mentoring support. CONCLUSIONS This study provides important insights into AHP experiences of implementing GCP principles in research, to guide the development of targeted interventions. Findings suggest clinicians require support beyond standard GCP training to implement GCP on a practical basis and adapt relevant principles to their research designs. Other strategies to enhance GCP implementation and adherence should be further investigated.