or N-of-1 trials ) in clinical practice . Single-system research designs are often used in cases where randomised controlled trials are not feasible or where the focus is on individual responses to an intervention .( 7 , 8 ) Finally , small pilot and feasibility studies can be conducted as practice-based research to specifically test whether proposed research methods are appropriate for planning of larger trials ( e . g ., see Pereira , Barkham ( 9 ) and Barasch , Safford ( 10 )). Such practice-based research approaches have the capacity to not only answer specific research questions but , collectively , to generate a body of evidence for improving the practice of individual practitioners and the health outcomes of their patients .( 11 ) Despite the recognised value of practice-based research ,( 3 ) evaluation of such research is often overlooked .( 12 ) We have reported reflections of participating massage therapists in this study previously ( Grace et al ., 2023 ). In the current paper , we present reflections of the research team involved in this study and its impact on their research practices .
Practice-based research example : The Step-in-Time feasibility study
Practice-based research may come about in a variety of ways . One way involves a team of university-based researchers reaching out to practitioners in the field who might be interested in becoming research partners in a clinical trial . The Step-in-Time Feasibility Study was one such example . This study was the first in a three-stage project designed to measure the effectiveness of natural therapy interventions in a practice-based research framework . For many smaller studies to be effectively compared or combined , there is a need to standardise the outcome measure . This would enable a number of practitioners in the field to collect data that could be combined into a multi-site study . The aim of the Stepin-Time study was to explore whether a smartphone app could be used as a standardised outcome measure .
As walking speed is a consistent predictor of survival length ,( 13 , 14 ) the first stage of the study aimed to assess the feasibility of using an existing mobile app to measure walking speed after massage therapy in clients with osteoarthritis . Feasibility measures included ease of recruitment , retention and attrition from the study and acceptability and satisfaction for participants , along with quality of data assessment from researchers . Eleven practitioners and 22 clients completed the study . Clients received their usual massage therapy intervention over a five-week period and tracked their daily walks using a mobile app to capture data about their walking speed . The study was conducted
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