Perceptions of human movement researchers and clinicians on the barriers and facilitators to health research data sharing in Africa

Introduction The benefits of research data sharing abound in the literature. However, some factors define how researchers and clinicians approach the challenges surrounding sharing human movement health research data. Purpose To describe the perceptions of human movement researchers and clinicians on the barriers and facilitators to research data sharing in Africa. Method A qualitative descriptive design with a purposive sampling method was used. In-depth interviews with human movement researchers and clinicians across Africa were conducted online via Microsoft Teams. Sixteen (n = 16) participants took part in this study. This sample size was representative of East, West, Northern, and Southern Africa. Efforts made to engage with participants in Central Africa were unsuccessful. Result Five themes emerged: 1) the researcher-clinician gap; 2) technological pros and cons in Africa; 3) cost matters; 4) bureaucracy and ethical factors; and 5) the unique African perspective. Mainly, barriers rather than facilitators to data sharing exist among African human movement researchers and clinicians. Conclusion There needs to be a societal and psychological shift through reorientation to encourage data sharing among African human movement researchers and clinicians.