Vision

It currently takes almost a generation for the findings of research to make their way into everyday practice. This both delays the accrual of research-mediated  knowledge to its intended beneficiaries and risks that practices once implemented may already be outmoded.

The SCI Research Program at NRH engages in the review and conduct of research spanning a variety of methodologies from randomized controlled trials to practice-based evidence studies.

We believe that we can bring real benefit to persons with SCI through the judicious selection of practices found to be pivotal* to well-being and focusing efforts on integration of those practices into clinician and consumer frames of reference.

This involves working closely with consumers and clinicians in their real-life environments to determine where, when and how this knowledge should be presented. Our focus is therefore sensitive both to audience and setting and we recognize both as modulators of health literacy.

We envision an on-going dialog with users to assess the appropriateness and effectiveness of our learning tools and an on-going spiral approach to developing and disseminating our ideas and products.  This collaborative and iterative plan of development will allow us to hone our methods and incrementally demonstrate integration of new knowledge gained from research activities into existing clinical and consumer knowledge frameworks.

Mission

To create, test, implement and evaluate, improved learning methods to integrate high quality research finding into practice for the SCI community of interest.

Beneficiaries

1. Individuals with SCI; their families and friends (specifically, individuals at risk for pressure ulcers, obesity, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease)

2. Providers of health and other care services to persons with SCI (specifically, acute care nurses, first responders, primary care providers)

3. The general public (specifically, children, parents and educators: the perischolastic setting)

* See more at the explanation of the rationale underlying Practice Based Evidence (PBE).