A qualitative study investigating research priorities and investigative capacity in sports-focused chiropractic research, part 2: exploring the challenges and opportunities for research capacity development.

Objectives: To explore the challenges and opportunities for research capacity development in the sports chiropractic field.

Methods: A qualitative description study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with 20 sports chiropractic researchers from eight countries and focus group interviews with 12 sports chiropractic leaders from Canada.

Results: Challenges and opportunities for research capacity development were identified within four main themes - 1) affiliations and collaborations, 2) human resources, 3) financial resources, and 4) operational resources. Profession-specific challenges included being "siloed", a lack of knowledge of the chiropractic profession, and its negative perception. Profession-specific opportunities included creating a sports chiropractic research chair/centre and engaging sports chiropractors in practice- and field-based research networks.

Conclusions: These results can inform strategies to advance research capacity development for the sports chiropractic field and develop context-specific indicators for ongoing research capacity assessment.