Date Presented 04/04/19
Utilization of evidence-based practice (EBP) is an essential requirement of delivering high quality healthcare. This presentation will highlight the findings of a research study that investigated the perception of OTs' and PTs' perception of EBP. Participants attending this presentation will gain a thorough understanding of OTs' and PTs’ perception of EBP and acquire strategies to advocate and implement EBP in practice.
Primary Author and Speaker: Angela Lampe
Additional Authors and Speakers: Keli Mu, Yongyue Qi
Contributing Authors: Yali Wang, Kaiti Brown-King, Brady Moran, Elizabeth Talian
EBP is the process of using clinical expertise, patient priorities and the best research evidence available to make decisions regarding patient care (Sackett, Rosenberg, Gray, Haynes, & Richardson, 1996). Despite the significance of EBP in occupational and physical therapy practice, literature regarding therapists’ perception of EBP is limited. The purpose of the study was to examine the perception of occupational and physical therapists of EBP with a focus on discussing strategies to overcome barriers and advocate for EBP.
DESIGN: This study is survey research and used the questionnaire, Evidence-Based Practice Process Assessment Scale (EBPPAS) developed by Rubin & Parrish (2011). Demographic information questions were added at the beginning of the questionnaire by the study authors. In this quantitative study, an exhaustive convenience sample of 261 occupational and physical therapists working at six facilities of a large faith-based, non-profit health system in the Midwest were surveyed. An inclusion criterion for this study is that the participant must have been licensed and registered practitioners.
METHOD: The study was conducted using a self-administered paper survey (Andres, 2012). The questionnaires were distributed in envelopes to the Rehabilitation Director at each of the six facilities. The Rehabilitation Director distributed the questionnaires to the eligible therapists and the completed questionnaires were returned to the investigators. The quantitative data analysis software program, version 24 IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to aid in data analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the demographic information of the participants and therapists’ perception of EBP. Inferential statistics such as one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and independent samples t-tests were used to examine whether significant differences exist among variables of interest. The α level of the study was set at .05.
RESULTS: Of 261 questionnaires distributed, 47 were completed, representing an 18% response rate. The results revealed that majority participants reported familiarity with the EBP process and maintained an overall positive attitude toward EBP. A high portion of participants reported intent to engage in the EBP process but they were less favorable to engage in EBP. [BAM1] Therapist [BAM2] age and the number of years of practice had effect on their familiarity with EBP and the perceived feasibility to engage in EBP. Younger therapists and therapists with fewer years of practice reported more familiarity with EBP and perceived more feasibility of implementing EBP. A promising finding was that therapists’ age and the number of years of practice did not have any impact on their attitude and intention of engaging in EBP. No significant difference was found on perception between occupational therapists and physical therapists. Barriers to engaging in EBP included time constraints, insufficient access, and the limitations of the participants’ practice setting.
CONCLUSION: The findings of the study are important to practice and education and suggest occupational and physical therapists have positive perceptions of EBP, especially in the areas of familiarity with EBP, the intent and current engagement of EBP. Various barriers, however, exist and impede the implementation of EBP. For EBP to powerfully influence practice, policy makers and administrators need to encourage, support and reward therapists for implementing EBP. Adequate education, training and mentorship on EBP can increase the confidence of therapists and facilitate implementation of EBP in practice. Education programs should strengthen EBP curriculum to equip future occupational and physical therapists with essential knowledge and skills in EBP.
References
Andres L. Designing and doing survey research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage; 2012. doi:10.4135/9781526402202
Rubin, A., & Parrish, D. E. (2011). Validation of the evidence-based practice process assessment scale. Research on Social Work Practice, 21(1), 106-118. doi:10.1177/1049731509347851
Sackett, D. L., Rosenberg, W. M., Gray, J. A., Haynes, R. B., & Richardson, W. S. (1996). Evidence based medicine: What it is and what it isn’t. British Medical Journal, 312(7023), 71–72. doi:10.1136/bmj.312.7023.71
