Engaging work and health practitioners to embed research into practice to improve workforce health, influence business decisions and drive economic productivity. The ENGAGE Study.

Background Research shows that work and health practitioners often lack the capability and confidence to engage in research and to use evidence to inform their practice and influence business. Moreover, obstacles impeding employers engagement in workforce health and research persists despite their potential health, economic and productivity benefits. Aims To co-design an action plan that enhances practitioner engagement with research, equipping them with the knowledge, skills and confidence to apply evidence in practice and to support the dissemination of evidence to business leaders to influence workforce health and economic participation. Methods An exploratory mixed method study comprising three iterative work packages (WPs). WP1: Stakeholder consultation with the business and work and health community We will facilitate six multi-professional and cross-sector stakeholder engagement forums. These will comprise facilitated focus group sessions involving multidisciplinary groups of work and health practitioners working in the NHS and independent OH sectors to explore their challenges, obstacles and facilitators to research engagement and evidence utilisation, and to identify areas for skills development and training. Furthermore, we will facilitate focus group sessions with work and health researchers and academics to seek reflections on their experiences of engaging work and health practitioners in research and to identify opportunities to strengthen practitioners engagement in research and evidence utilisation in clinical practice and dissemination to employers. We will also facilitate a roundtable forum with multi-sector business leaders to explore their current and desired use of data and evidence to inform future strategic business decision making. This forum will also explore and identify tangible methods and approaches to strengthen future collaborative ways of working between business, work and health practitioners and the research and academic community. Purposive sampling methods will be used to recruit participants to the qualitative work and research data will be analysed using reflexive thematic analysis methods combined with the use various conceptual tools (i.e. Evidence-based Practice framework and Implementation Outcome Framework) to further guide the analyses and interpretation of the results. WP2: National survey of work and health practitioners to explore their perceived knowledge, skills, and confidence and capability to engage in research and apply evidence, including identification of key obstacles and enablers. Informed from insights identified in WP1, we will design and implement a cross-sectional survey of work and health practitioners. This will be distributed via professional / membership bodies and practitioner networks with further multidisciplinary engagement forums planned at national OH conferences during 2026. WP3: Co-development of a roadmap for practitioner engagement and preparation of Research Award (Development of a future collaboration and proof of concept proposal) The research will culminate in a roundtable forum with representatives from research, academia, clinical practice, professional bodies and policy makers. Feedback will assist us in co-designing an action plan (roadmap) to aid improved engagement in research and the utilisation of evidence to inform clinical practice and influence business. Timelines for delivery 10-month study Anticipated Impact and Dissemination Development for a roadmap and preparation of an NIHR Work and Health Research Award application, with dissemination outputs (publications).