Allied and scientific health research and evidence informed practice

The Allied and Scientific Health Office (ASHO) support excellence in allied health research and translation to clinical practice, which is crucial to delivering quality, sustainable health care and evidence-informed practice to South Australians.

Current research and evidence informed practice

Further information

Further information on evidence based practice is also available on the Standards and guidelines page.

Clinical Excellence: Strategic Directions for Building Allied Health Research and Translation Capacity

The purpose of the Clinical Excellence: Strategic Directions for Building Allied Health Research and Translation Capacity is to be visionary in its approach to research and evidence informed practice, to embed and sustain clinical research and the translation of research directly into clinical practice as recognised components of core business at all levels of allied health. This will enable provision of improved health care and health outcomes for individuals and the population. This strategy proposes to ensure that research is embedded and sustained in all health services and by all allied health professionals and is aligned with the Research Focus 2020 and SA Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2020 to 2025. The strategy aims to:

  • Influence and guide allied health directors, line managers, heads of departments and staff in the clinical application of research and evidence-informed practice;
  • Co-ordinate and integrate research structures and systems and promote continued steps to build the application of allied health research to clinical practice; and
  • Promote clinical research excellence as a driver of better health and better health care for all South Australians.

The discussion document Clinical Excellence, Developing Strategic Directions to Build Allied Health Research and Translation Capacity (PDF1MB) written in consultation with the Allied Health Research Reference Group is now available.

International Centre for Allied Health Evidence (iCAHE)

The International Centre for Allied Health Evidence (iCAHE) works locally, nationally and globally to create new knowledge and translate evidence into safe, quality health care. iCAHE partners with researchers, clinicians, educators, policy makers, government, industry, professional and consumer groups and the broader community.

iCAHE provides a wide range of tools, services and resources to support health practitioners, in translating evidence into policy and practice. Please visit and explore the iCAHE website for more information. 

Allied Health Evidence Database

The Allied and Scientific Health Office has collated a database of resources providing links and summary information for evidence related to Allied Health practice. The database includes research papers, clinical guidelines, practice frameworks, conference presentations and other resources which can be used to inform clinical practice.

Resources can be filtered by Profession, to see only discipline-specific information, or can be sorted by clinical area or by operational theme (such as scope of practice, AH led services, AH extended hours services and so on). The excel table format allows users to sort and filter the resources to see only relevant resources and instructions for these functions can be found within the document.

For further information, corrections or additions to the resource list, please contact the ASHO at HealthAlliedandScientificHealth@sa.gov.au

ASPIRE for quality

The ASPIRE for quality is an evidence-based tool developed by the International Centre for Allied Health Evidence to evaluate clinical service performance in South Australian Local Health Networks.

The development, implementation and pilot evaluation of the ASPIRE was funded by SA Health's Allied Health and Scientific Office.