'Research into Practice': a model for healthcare management research?

Traditional modes of researching health service practice and policy have been criticised in terms of timeliness and relevance by potential users, and of poor uptake by researchers themselves. Newer models, based on principles of collaboration and integration, are being used in some healthcare settings, and there is evidence that these approaches help to bridge the gap that exists between ‘research’ and ‘practice’. This article describes the work of a small research team within the former NHS Modernisation Agency, appropriately named Research into Practice, and reflects on its experience of using collaborative and integrative approaches to its work.