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Keeping connected: helping rehab therapists use
research findings From her earliest experiences as an
occupational therapist, Dr. Susan Rappolt has been
interested in the processes that enable health
professionals to provide the best services possible.
These days, her focus is on helping rehabilitation
professionals apply the latest and best research
findings.
A Senior Scientist at Toronto
Rehab, Dr. Rappolt has found that too often, there are
barriers – such as time constraints – which make it
difficult for health professionals to use new scientific
evidence to help their clients.
It’s not hard to imagine why
rehabilitation professionals might feel time pressures.
If you’ve ever been to an occupational therapist or
physical therapist, you know how busy they are with
clients.
So how can anyone keep up? Dr.
Rappolt has worked with colleagues and students to
identify how therapists can be more successful in
applying relevant research evidence in their clinical
practices.
Her former research student, Janet Craik, found that therapists who are most likely to use
relevant research evidence in their practices are those
who keep current by continuing their own education and
teaching students, and –in addition to practicing –
engage in some type of research activity themselves.
Dr. Rappolt and her colleagues have
found that the organizations where therapists work can
also make a difference. Those that provide access to
research databases on computers and the time needed to
implement effective new treatments with their clients,
create a “culture” of evidence-based practice.
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 Dr. Susan Rappolt
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Quick
Biography
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Dr. Rappolt is a Senior Scientist at Toronto
Rehab. She is Associate Professor in the Department
of Occupational Therapy and the Graduate Department
of Rehabilitation Science at the University of
Toronto. She trained as an occupational therapist
and sociologist and received her PhD from the
University of Toronto. She has published and lectured
extensively on knowledge translation and the effects
of the practice context on the content of health
professionals' clinical services. Her research
interests are in the following areas: knowledge
translation and research utilization, the effects
of the social and policy contexts on professional
practices, occupational therapy, occupational
science, and rehabilitation.
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