Please consult our policy here. To seek support for your research project, please contact us to request the application form at enquiries@bapo.com
We can connect you to Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) registered prosthetists and orthotists with relevant research interests.
Real Examples:
Please find below personal stories of prosthetists and orthotists, either working in research or building research skills. We hope that these case studies demonstrate that anyone can be a researcher, and can be involved in research at any level:
Eileen Morrow – Doctoral Clinical Academic Fellow, University of OxfordDownload
Francesca Muratore – Orthotist, NHS Forth ValleyDownload
Gwen Roberts – Specialist Prosthetist, NHS Cardiff and ValeDownload
Laura Barr – Advanced Orthotic Practitioner and NRS Career Research Fellow, NHS Glasgow and ClydeDownload
Nicky Eddison – Associate Professor, University of StaffordshireDownload
Tanja Scherrer – Principal Orthotist, Aneurin Bevan University Health BoardDownload
Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust
The full list of JLA priorities can be found here. JLA priority lists which may be relevant to Prosthetics and Orthotics include:
Common conditions affecting the hand and wrist
Diabetes (Type 2)
Early hip and knee osteoarthritis
Elbow conditions
Foot health
Multiple Sclerosis
Scoliosis
Spinal cord injury
Stroke rehabilitation and long term care
Can’t find a priority list relevant to your research interests? The NIHR Leeds Biomedical research centre ran a series of seminars on research careers including one titled Developing a Good Research Question.
It is important to establish that your research question is important and relevant to patients, carers and clinicians. Another method of achieving this is to ask patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) groups about your research proposal. Look locally to hospital trusts, universities and research support services to identify PPIE groups you can consult. PPIE groups for children and young people can be approached through Generation R.
BAPO has developed a Measuring Change booklet resource to help prosthetists and orthotists to identify and understand outcome measurement tools which may be relevant for research and clinical projects.
Conor McDaid and Joshua Young gave a BAPO Tea-Time Talk titled An Introduction to Outcome Measures. In the talk, they discuss types of outcome measures, how to interpret them and give examples of their use in case studies. It is available to watch in the Education Resources section of our members area.
BAPO held a symposium on Outcome Measures for Lower Limb Orthotics, facilitated by Conor McDaid and presented by Joshua Young, Eileen Morrow, and Natalie Hall. At the symposium, outcome measures were discussed in greater depth and the advantages of consistent outcome measurement collection and application to multicentre audits were examined. Tickets for the recording are available in the Events section of our members area.
Here are some practical ways to share your findings:
Presenting at Conferences: Whether it’s a local, national, or international event, this gives you a platform to discuss your research with peers and gain feedback, and make connections for future collaborations. BAPO has developed a guidance document on How to Write a Conference Poster, available in the Resources section of our members area. This resource will help you communicate your research in a clear, engaging, and professional manner.
Publishing in Journals: For those new to publishing, starting with an audit or quality improvement project might be less daunting than a full research paper. It is important to make sure your journal aligns with the aims and scope of the journal.
Submit to BAPO Connect: BAPO publishes a magazine that welcomes contributions from members. You can submit research articles, audit reports, or even write a reflective piece on your experience of conducting research or improving practice.
Patient and Public Engagement: When your findings have implications for patient care, consider sharing them with patient groups or the wider public. This could be done through patient forums, blogs, or even local community events. Communicating directly with patients and the public helps ensure that your work has a real-world impact.
By taking these steps, you ensure that your hard work has the greatest possible impact. Sharing your results not only enhances your own professional development but also strengthens the future of prosthetics and orthotics practice.
Please find below personal stories of prosthetists and orthotists, either working in research or building research skills. We hope that these case studies demonstrate that anyone can be a researcher, and can be involved in research at any level:
Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust
Research Training Opportunities:
For clinicians looking to become involved in research or increase their research skills, a good first step is to explore available training courses in research skills. Free courses are available online from the publisher Elsevier Research Academy. The local hubs for the Council for Allied Health Professional Research (CAHPR) often run free training sessions both online and in-person. Find your local CAHPR hub here.
For paid training courses, small pots of funding can often be found through CAHPR, local hospital or research service funds for research training, or from the OETT.
If you are aiming to become a researcher beyond this level, we would strongly recommend publishing any research you have produced. This might include your university thesis. Writing workshops are a useful way of assigning time to completing the write-up of any projects as well as accessing mentorship support on publishing research. These are often available locally through your hospital trust or research service.
If you are interested in research but not sure what being a researcher involves, the next stage of training would be an internship. BAPO offers internship placements through the BAPO Research Hub. The P&O professionals who join the Research Training Hub will have the opportunity to work on a research project, will gain experience of how a real research project works, and will gain experience in publishing a research paper.
In addition to the BAPO Research Training Hub, there are often local opportunities for placements or internships within research units. These are generally for those with little to no research experience and are designed to help you to understand if this is a career pathway for you.
For those with more research experience looking to take the next step into higher education, the Royal College of Nursing has produced a list of post-graduate research training courses, which is also relevant for Allied Health Professionals. Please see our section on Research Funding for suggestions on how to fund these opportunities.
Planning a career in research:
The Chair of our BAPO Research Committee, Eileen Morrow, gave a BAPO Tea-Time Talk titled Research Funding: First Steps to Post-Doctorate. In the talk, she reviews her career pathway from orthotist to doctoral research fellow, and offers advice for prosthetists and orthotists at each stage of their research journey including aims and advice. It is available to watch in the Education Resources section of our members area.
The National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) have produced a leaflet on how to build a research career. It includes resources for speaking to your manager.
An important distinction when looking at research funding is between a research grant and a research fellowship. A research grant generally provides funding for a research project only. A research fellowship is usually a training programme and often provides funding for training courses (including university course fees), while the fellow completes a research project.
For BAPO members who are interested in applying for research funding but would like some support, please contact the BAPO Research Committee through: enquiries@bapo.com
UK Government Funding:
England: National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)
The NIHR Leeds Biomedical research centre ran a series of seminars on research careers, including one titled: NIHR Funding Opportunities.
Of particular interest for early career researchers, the NIHR Integrated Clinical and Practitioner Academic Programme supports health and care professionals to develop careers that combine research with continuing clinical practice. It includes an internship scheme for those with little to no research experience.
Northern Ireland: Health and Social Care (HSC) Public Health Agency
Scotland: Chief Scientist Office (CSO)
Wales: Health and Care Research Wales
UK Research Councils:
The UK Research and Innovation is a collection of seven research councils which invest in science and research in the UK. Some councils which may be relevant for funding prosthetics and orthotics research include:
Medical Research Council
Science and Technology Facilities Council
Economic and Social Research Council
Other Funding:
Search for charities which fund medical research in your area of interest through: Association of Medical Research Charities.
Other potential funding opportunities include the Wellcome Trust and the Orthotic Education and Training Trust (OETT).
This document outlines the scope and purpose of the BAPO Research Committee.
Please also contact us if you are interested in joining the BAPO Research Committee. We are more than happy to answer any questions. No research experience is required, just enthusiasm!
The application form to join the Research Committee can be requested from enquiries@bapo.com