Bridging the research-practice divide in healthcare

In healthcare, the road from discovery to implementation is longer than it should be. Researchers produce a steady stream of insights and innovations that have the potential to improve patient care—but too often, those insights don’t make it to the bedside in time to help the patients who need them.

That disconnect feels especially urgent now. With mounting pressures on healthcare systems and deep, often startling, cuts to research funding, the research we do manage to conduct is more precious than ever. We can’t afford to invest in discovery, only to ignore the findings. It’s critical that clinicians and researchers work—together—to ensure that evidence not only exists, but also drives learning and change in practice.

Part of the challenge lies in a longstanding communication divide. Researchers, often based in academic centres, may not have direct visibility into the day-to-day realities of clinical care. Clinicians, focused on fast-paced, high-stakes environments, may not have the time—or the tools—to track and translate emerging evidence. Without a reliable two-way flow of information, opportunities for impact are missed: research isn’t applied, and pressing clinical questions go unaddressed.

So how can we bridge the divide?

Closing the communication gap between clinicians and researchers

Here are a few practical ways to strengthen the connection between research and practice:

1. Build regular, structured forums for exchange. Regular interdisciplinary meetings—whether journal clubs, case rounds, or collaborative research seminars—create space for mutual learning. When clinicians and researchers come together to discuss both recent publications and frontline challenges, ideas emerge that might not surface in siloed settings.

2. Empower change agents. Appoint members of your clinical team responsible for identifying, implementing and/or championing new research results into practice. Support with clear mandates, communication, protected time, budget and followup.

3. Look outside your centre. If your centre is considering a change of practice based on new research, you're likely not alone—other centres may be doing the same. Reach out to your contacts, attend conferences, or use online forums like Sosido to benchmark current practice at other centres, request templates, learn from and support each other.

4. Co-design research projects. Engaging clinicians early in the research design process helps ensure that studies are grounded in real-world needs. Similarly, when researchers invite input from clinicians on study priorities and protocols, the resulting work is more likely to be relevant and applicable in practice.

5. Make research more accessible. Plain-language summaries, visual abstracts, and brief video explainers can make it easier for time-pressed clinicians to absorb new findings. Clinicians are more likely to engage with research that is clear, concise, and framed around its practical implications.

6. Use digital platforms that reach both audiences. Some platforms are designed to bring researchers and clinicians into shared conversation. For example, Sosido connects specialty communities through a weekly digest featuring new member publications and real-time clinical questions. Clinicians are drawn to the immediacy of the Q&A and discover research along the way; researchers come to see their work shared and encounter frontline challenges in return. The result: a shared stream of updates where both groups learn from each other.

7. Encourage mutual visibility and appreciation. Bridging the divide also means shifting the culture. Celebrating research contributions in clinical settings—and clinical insights in research circles—reinforces that both perspectives are essential to improving care.

These approaches don’t require sweeping system change. But they do require intentional design—of communication channels, meetings, incentives, and culture—to make sure that research and practice are not just parallel tracks, but part of the same conversation.

Because when clinicians and researchers are truly connected, care improves faster.