barriers to implementing findings from theses and dissertations: a qualitative study

Background & objective: graduate and postgraduate theses in medical sciences aim to identify clinical problems, propose therapeutic strategies, and inform health policies. however, their findings are often not applied in practice. this study explored barriers to implementing results from postgraduate theses.materials & methods: this qualitative study employed a conventional content analysis approach and was conducted from january 31 to march 31, 2025. ten faculty members participated, selected through purposive sampling until data saturation was achieved. data were collected via semi-structured, individual interviews and analyzed using elo and kyngäs's method. to ensure the trustworthiness of the findings, lincoln and guba's criteria—credibility, dependability, confirmability, and transferability—were applied.results: qualitative data analysis yielded 500 initial codes, which were organized into 63 subcategories, 12 primary categories, and ultimately synthesized into 4 main categories. the four categories included: barriers related to researchers and research itself, barriers related to organizational and managerial environments, barriers related to healthcare professionals and staff, and barriers related to policy and regulations. the overarching, abstracted theme was identified as systematic barriers to the application of research findings in the health system.conclusion: this study identified four main categories of barriers that hinder the use of research evidence in healthcare: researcher- and research-related, organizational, professional, and policy barriers. overcoming these challenges requires coordinated, multi-level strategies engaging researchers, healthcare providers, managers, and policymakers. systematic action in these areas can promote evidence-informed decision-making and improve patient outcomes.