Bridging the gap between clinical practice and research: An integrated practice‐oriented model

Abstract

This paper addresses the gap between clinical practice and clinical research. Adopting a postmodern neopragmatic position, a practice‐oriented research model is proposed. This model cuts across the division between paradigmatic and narrative approaches to clinical practice research and integrates quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. Four guiding principles are operationalized: (1) clinical research should focus on practice‐oriented questions, with the practitioner involved in agenda setting and research question formulation; (2) the division between empiricist and constructivist positions and that between quantitative and qualitative methods can be resolved through epistemological and methodological pluralism; (3) clinical research should be guided by a developmental perspective; and (4) collaboration between practitioners and researchers has to take place both on the program and the institutional levels.