A Case Report of Evidence-Based Practice: From Academia to Clinic

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to present activities that can be used to integrate evidence-based practice (EBP) into clinicians' daily work so that they may be better informed when planning intervention with their clients. The article includes a short history of EBP, a description of an eight-step EBP process taught in an academic setting using a student project as an example, and suggestions for ways in which individual practitioners and occupational therapy managers can promote the implementation of EBP in daily practice.

Occupational therapists' experiences in integrating a new intervention in collaboration with a researcher

“…The OTs also emphasized that implementation of research "had" to be done in their clinical work but lack of time and experience on their part or that of other colleagues limited the ambition to use research knowledge. Similar results may be found in the literature (1)(2)(3)(4) and there is support for the finding that implementation requires practice with colleagues (6,23). One way to move practice forward is through reflection to increase the understanding of the necessity to translate and implement research knowledge into practice (25), which was a basic precondition for the training course.…”

“…Being part of the project created a state of change in the professional role for the participants, which related to needing time for deep reflection and discussions. In the reflections and written expectations, the OTs illuminated the value of critically analysing their own role and also preparedness for a change in the professional role: "See how the change is improving the outcome by resulting in more professional training for the patient" and "(I) acquire development and stimulus of my own accord" [1].…”

“…There are ongoing discussions about how to integrate research in practice in occupational therapy as well as in other health professions (1,2). Literature in the area of occupational therapy emphasizes that research has to support clinical practices and the importance of maintaining a high standard of knowledge by exploring and scrutinizing current scientific journals.…”

Facilitating Evidence-Based Practice: Process, Strategies, and Resources

“…Occupational therapistsinCanadahavepioneeredmany knowledgeexchangeandtranslationmethodssuchasonlinecommunitiesofpractice and community-based educational outreach (Law, Missiuna, & Pollock, 2008). Although many descriptions and examples of EBP have been published (Bailey, Bornstein, & Ryan, 2007;Holm, 2000;Law, 2000), clinicians may benefit from updatedstrategiesandresourcestosuccessfullyandefficientlyintegrateevidenceinto dailypractice.…”

Evidence-Based Practice in Occupational Therapy Curricula

“…Bailey et al (2007) were able to translate knowledge learned by the use of a case story in a post-professional occupational therapy course into clinical practice months after the course ended. The positive influence of the use of case stories such as in this example may be repeated by including these in EBP coursework if they are not present in a program.…”