Evidence-based practice is the procedure whereby clinicians incorporate best research evidence, clinical expertise, and patient values to provide best patient care. Recently, there has been a significant push towards occupational therapists' adoption of evidence-based practice. This systematic review aimed to determine occupational therapists' attitudes, knowledge, and utilization of evidence-based practice.
Method:
A search of literature published between 2000–12 was conducted in relation to occupational therapists' practice. Academic Search Complete, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature Plus, PsycARTICLES, Ingenta, Medline, Science Direct, and Journal Storage were systematically searched using MeSH and free-text keywords. Google Scholar and reference lists were also searched.
Findings:
Thirty-two papers were selected for review: 23 were quantitative, 8 were qualitative, and 1 used a mixed methods design. Studies demonstrated that occupational therapists hold positive attitudes towards evidence-based practice. However, these attitudes do not translate into practice, with research indicating a lack of evidence-based practice utilization. Occupational therapists perceive a number of barriers to evidence-based practice, including lack of time, lack of availability and accessibility of research, and having limited research skills.
Conclusion:
It is essential that educational and training initiatives provide therapists with the tools and support they need to engage fully with research evidence and its application within clinical care.
AlexandratosKBarnetFThomasY (2012) The impact of exercise on the mental health and quality of life of people with severe mental illness: a critical review. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 75 (2), 48–60.
2.
American Occupational Therapy Association (2007) AOTA Centennial vision and executive summary. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 61 (6), 613–614.
3.
BaumeisterRLearyM (1997) Writing narrative literature reviews. Review of General Psychology, 1 (3), 311–320.
4.
BayleyMHurdowarARichardsCKorner-BitenskyNWood-DaphineeSEngJGrahamI (2012) Barriers to implementation of stroke rehabilitation evidence: findings from a multi-site pilot project. Disability & Rehabilitation, 34 (19), 1633–1638.
5.
BennettSBennettJW (2000) The process of evidence-based practice in occupational therapy: informing clinical decisions. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 47 (4), 171–180.
6.
BennettSToothLMcKennaKRodgerSStrongJZivianiJMickanSGibsonL (2003) Perception of evidence-based practice: a survey of Australian occupational therapists. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 50 (1), 13–22.
7.
BrownTTsengMHCaseyJMcDonaldRLyonsC (2009) Knowledge, attitudes, practice and barriers of pediatric occupational therapists to evidence-based practice and research utilization. WFOT Bulletin, 60, 38–48.
8.
BrownTTsengHMCaseyJMcDonaldRLyonsC (2010) Predictors of research utilization among pediatric occupational therapists. Occupation, Participation and Health, 30 (4), 172–183.
9.
CaldwellEWhiteheadMFlemingJMoesL (2008) Evidence-based practice in everyday clinical practice: strategies for change in a tertiary occupational therapy department. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 55 (2), 79–84.
10.
CaldwellKColemanKCoppGBellLGhaziF (2007) Preparing for professional practice: how well does professional training equip health and social care practitioners to engage in evidence-based practice?Nurse Education Today, 27 (6), 518–528.
11.
CameronKABallantyneSKulbitskyAMargolis-GalMDaughertyTLudwigF (2005) utilization of evidence based practice by registered occupational therapists. Occupational Therapy International, 12 (3), 123–136.
CopleyJAllenS (2009) Using all the available evidence: perceptions of paediatric occupational therapists about how to increase evidence-based practice. International Journal of Evidence Based Healthcare, 7 (3), 193–200.
14.
CristP (2010) Adapting research instruction to support scholarship of practice: practice-scholar partnerships. Occupational Therapy in Healthcare, 24 (1), 39–55.
15.
CurtinMJaramazovicE (2001) Occupational therapists' views and perceptions of evidence-based practice. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 64 (5), 214–222.
16.
DöppCMSteultjensEMRadalJ (2012) A survey of evidence-based practise among Dutch occupational therapists. Occupational Therapy International, 19 (1), 17–27.
17.
DysartATomlinG (2002) Factors related to evidence-based practice among US occupational therapy clinicians. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 56 (3), 275–284.
18.
FängeAIvanoffS (2009) Integrating research into practice: a challenge for local authority occupational therapy. Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 16 (1), 40–48.
19.
FisherR (1993) Social desirability bias and the validity of indirect questioning. Journal of Consumer Research, 20 (2), 303–315.
20.
GawronskiB (2009) Ten frequently asked question about implicit measures and their frequently supposed, but not entirely correct answers. Canadian Psychology, 50 (3), 141–150.
21.
GilmanPI (2011) Evidence-based information-seeking behaviours of occupational therapists: a survey of recent graduates. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 99 (4), 307–310.
22.
GoslingSWestbrookJ (2004) Allied health professionals' use of online evidence: a survey of 790 staff working in the Australian public hospital system. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 73 (4), 391–401.
23.
GreenNBJohnsonDCAdamsA (2006) Writing narrative literature reviews for peer-reviewed journals: secrets of the trade. Journal of Chiropractic Medicine5 (3), 101–117.
24.
HeiweSKajermoNKTyni-LenneRGuidettiSSamuelssonMAnderssonIWengstromY (2011) Evidence-based practice: attitudes, knowledge and behaviour among allied health care professionals. International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 23 (2), 198–209.
25.
HuDBurkeJAlikiT (2012) Occupational therapists' involvement views, and training needs of evidence-based practice: a rural perspective. International Journal of Therapy & Rehabilitation, 19 (11), 618–628.
26.
HumphrisDLittlejohnsPVictorCO'HalloranPPeacockJ (2000) Implementing evidence-based practice: factors that influence the use of research evidence by occupational therapists. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 63 (11), 516–522.
27.
KarlssonUTörnquistK (2007) What do Swedish occupational therapists feel about research? A survey of perceptions, attitudes, intentions and engagement. Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 14 (4), 221–229.
28.
KristensenHToveBLiseH (2011) Facilitation of research-based evidence within occupational therapy in stroke rehabilitation. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 74 (10), 473–483.
LizarondoLGrimmer-SomersKKumarSCrockettA (2012) Does journal club membership improve research evidence uptake in different allied health disciplines: a pre-post study. BMC Res Notes, 5, 588: Available at: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1756–0500/5/58/ Accessed 26.03.13.
32.
LyonsCCaseyJBrownTTsengMeiMcDonaldR (2010) Research knowledge, attitudes, practices and barriers among paediatric occupational therapists in the UK. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 73 (5), 200–209.
33.
LyonsCBrownTTsengHMCaseyJMcDonaldR (2011) Evidence-based practice and research utilization: perceived research knowledge, attitudes, practices and barriers among Australian paediatric occupational therapists. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 58 (3), 178–186.
34.
McCluskeyA (2003) Occupational therapists report low level of knowledge, skill and involvement in evidence-based practice. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 50 (1), 3–12.
35.
McKennaKBennetSDierselhuisZHoffmannTToothLMcCluskeyA (2005) Australian occupational therapists' use of an online evidence-based practice database (OTseeker). Health Information and Libraries Journal, 22 (3), 205–214.
36.
McQueenJMillerCNivisonCHusbandV (2006) An investigation into the use of a journal club for evidence-based practice. International Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation, 13 (7), 311–317.
37.
MelnykBFineout-OverholtEFeinsteinN FischbeckLiHSmallLWilcoxLKrausR (2004) Nurses' perceived knowledge, beliefs, skills, and needs regarding evidence-based practice: implications for accelerating the paradigm shift. Worldviews on Evidence Based Nursing, 1 (3), 185–93.
38.
MelnykBFineout-OverholtEStillwellSWilliamsonK (2010) Evidence-based practice: step by step: the seven steps of evidence-based practice. American Journal of Nursing, 110 (1), 51–53.
39.
MetcalfeCLewinRWisherSPerrySBanniganKMoffettJ (2001) Barriers to implementing the evidence base in four NHS therapies: dietitians, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists. Physiotherapy, 87 (8), 433–441.
40.
MoherDLiberatiATetzlaffJAltmanGD, The PRISMA Group (2009) Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: the PRISMA statement. PLoS Medicine, 6 (7), e1000097. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000097.
41.
OliverAMcDaidD (2002) Evidence-based health care: benefits and barriers. Social Policy and Society, 1 (3), 183–190.
PriorPWilkinsonJNevilleS (2010) Practice Nurse use of evidence in clinical practice: a descriptive survey. Nursing Praxis in New Zealand, 26 (2), 14–25.
44.
ReagonCBellinWBonifaceG (2008) Reconfiguring evidence-based practice for occupational therapists. International Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation, 15 (10), 428–436.
45.
SallsJDolhiCSilvermanLHansenM (2009) The use of evidence-based practice by occupational therapists. Occupational Therapy in Health Care, 23 (2), 134–145.
46.
Stergiou-KitaM (2010) Implementing clinical practice guidelines in occupational therapy practice: recommendations form the research evidence. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 57 (2), 76–87.
47.
StrausSERichardsonWSGlasziouPHaynesRB (2011) Evidence-based medicine: how to practice and teach EBM (4th ed). Edinburgh, Scotland: Churchill Livingstone.
48.
SwedloveFEtcheverryE (2012) Occupational therapists' perceptions of the value of research. New Zealand Journal of Occupational Therapy, 59 (1), 5–12.
49.
SweetlandJCraikC (2001) The use of evidence-based practice by occupational therapists who treat adult stroke patients. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 64 (5), 256–260.
50.
TaylorCM (2007) Evidence-based practice for occupational therapists (2nd ed). Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
51.
TaylorCMSavin-BadenM (2001) Whose ‘evidence’ are we applying?British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 64 (5), 213.
52.
UptonDUptonP (2006a) Knowledge and use of evidence-based practice of GPs and hospital doctors. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 12 (3), 376–384.
53.
UptonDUptonP (2006b) Knowledge and use of evidence-based practice by allied health and health science professionals in the United Kingdom. Journal of Allied Health, 35 (3), 127–133.
54.
VachonBDurandMLeBlancJ (2010) Empowering occupational therapists to become evidence-based work rehabilitation practitioners. Work, 37 (2), 119–134.
55.
WelchADawsonP (2007) Engaging occupational therapists in applying evidence to practice: an action research project. International Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation, 14 (10), 460–465.
