UK research governance developments: Opportunities for therapy research?

Background Evidence-based practice requires that all therapists are consumers of research, which means they must read, appraise and where appropriate apply, research findings to their practice. Indeed, their contribution has been described at three levels: as research consumers, research participants and as proactive researchers. Content This article presents five key recent UK research governance developments, illustrated with case examples, which are relevant to therapists across all three of these levels. In particular the article focuses on exploring the opportunities that such developments could potentially provide as the therapy professions strive to increase their research capacities. Conclusions All therapists are urged to stay abreast of the research governance developments, in order to effectively exploit the opportunities and advantages they may provide.