Bridging the Gap
between Research and Practice
What is the Problem?
In the UK, we have world leading universities and research institutes, yet only a small proportion of clinical research ever becomes routine practice.
On average, only 14% of published clinical research is adopted into routine care, and it takes approximately 17 years - before research findings are routinely delivered in healthcare settings [1].
In mental health, the challenge of translation is even more marked. Evidence shows that many effective treatments are slow to be adopted into community and routine settings, and that the majority of people will never be offered evidence based treatments [2].
For older adults, the research-to-practice gap is compounded by historically low participation in research and structural barriers that limit access to evidence-informed care. Charities and research funders in the UK have highlighted that older people, especially those over 75,are under-represented in clinical studies, making it harder for services to be designed and evaluated with their needs at the centre. [3]
Many research findings that could improve wellbeing and resilience in later life are known, but they are not delivered in routine settings - especially at the population level as part of public mental health and preventative support.
At The Mindful Life Group we are changing this.
Use of Participant Information in Research
As part of our application and enrolment process, participants are given the option to consent to their anonymised outcomes being used for research and publication.
This consent is always:
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Voluntary – choosing not to consent does not affect access to any programme or support
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Informed – we explain clearly what information may be used and how
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Confidential – any data used is anonymised so individuals cannot be identified
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Withdrawable – participants can change their mind at any time
Using outcome data in this way helps us to:
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Understand how well programmes are working
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Improve the support we offer
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Contribute to the wider evidence base for older adult and public mental health
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Help ensure effective approaches are recognised and made more widely available
In this way, participants who choose to contribute are helping improve not only their own support, but future services for others.
Our Research
Our published work contributes to the evidence base for mindfulness-based and wellbeing interventions, particularly in community and ageing contexts.
Pacini, A., Vseteckova, J., & Pappas, Y. (2020). Psychological therapy for older adults in the time of COVID-19: Older adults’ perceptions on the acceptability of online versus face to face versions of a mindfulness for later life group. Biomedical Journal of Scientific and Technical Research, 31(1), 23912-23916. View PDF
Pacini, A., Stickland, A., & Kupeli, N. (2022). Connecting in place: older adults’ experience of online mindfulness therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Age and ageing, 51(12), afac270. View PDF
Pacini, A., Vseteckova, J., & Haider, S. (2023). The Effects of Mindfulness-Based Interventions on Couples in Later Life. A Mixed Methods Systematic Review. Clinical Gerontologist, 46(3), 315-329 View PDF
Our team has also presented research findings at academic and health conferences. Posters allow us to communicate research in a clear and accessible way, encouraging discussion and collaboration.
For more information on how we use research to develop our programmes please see click here.
Conference Posters
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References
1. Z. S. Morris, S. Wooding & J. Grant, *The answer is 17 years — what is the question?* Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine: research to practice gaps average about 17 years. ([PMC][4])
2. A. Williams et al., *Only ~14% of clinical research is adopted into practice*, highlighting substantial lost potential in health research translation. ([SpringerLink][1])
3. E. K. Proctor et al., *Implementation Research in Mental Health Services*: the gap between evidence and routine mental health care practice underlines the need for implementation science. ([PMC][2])
4. The Guardian reporting on exclusion of older adults from medical research, reflecting under-representation and implications for evidence applicability in later life. ([The Guardian][3])