Beliefs, Attitudes, and Behaviors of Saudi Physiotherapists Toward Evidence-Based Practice

Abstract

Background Evidence-based practice (EBP) has gained significant importance in clinical practice worldwide, including physiotherapy, but there are limited studies that have assessed the knowledge, attitude, and behaviors of Saudi physiotherapists toward EBP. Objective: To determine the beliefs, attitudes, knowledge, and experience of Saudi physiotherapists in public hospitals of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia toward EBP as well as identify barriers that limit the integration of EBP in clinical practice. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional design included all Saudi physiotherapists working in four major tertiary hospitals in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. The Evidence-Based Practice Questionnaire was used to elicit responses. The association between attitudes, awareness, and knowledge scores and the demographic data such as age group, years of experience, and level of education was assessed. Results: The questionnaire was distributed to a total of 171 physiotherapists, of which 118 (69%) responded. About 90% of the participants agreed or strongly agreed that EBP is necessary for clinical practice. However, about 25%, 19%, and 18% of the participants reported that EBP does not consider clinical limitations, support physiotherapy intervention, or consider patients' physiotherapy preferences, respectively. The most common barrier in the implementation of EBP in daily clinical practice was insufficient time (>50%), followed by self-efficacy in retrieving evidence from the literature and translating research findings into clinical practice. Years of experience, age, and gender were significant factors associated with physiotherapists' beliefs and attitudes toward implementing EBP. Conclusions: Although EBP was favored, several barriers exist that hinder its adoption by physiotherapists. Institutional support and research skill development may help accelerate EBP adoption levels and should be considered by policymakers.

Evidence-Based Physiotherapy Practice in Paediatric Subdiscipline: A Cross-Sectional Study in Saudi Arabia

“…A number of previous studies have reported positive attitudes of physiotherapists in Saudi Arabia regarding EBP and its implementation [ 24 , 25 , 26 ]; however, no studies exploring EBP and Saudi paediatric physiotherapy have been completed to date. In 2017, a survey of 376 physiotherapists found most respondents did not receive formal EBP training (70%) in universities or any other authorised training centres [ 25 ].…”

Exploring the potential impact of applying web-based training program on nurses’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes regarding evidence-based practice: A quasi-experimental study

“…However, the adoption of EBP is challenging for nurses in KSA and other nearby nations, including Jordan, Oman, and Iran, owing to a lack of support and implementation hurdles for EBP [ 13 ]. Therefore, the implementation of EBP and training on identified barriers is mandatory and should be considered by policymakers [ 14 ]. Online education, especially during vocational training, is one of the major ways to increase learners’ EBP competency and, as a result, promote EBP in service organizations [ 15 , 16 ].…”

Saudi physiotherapists' attitudes, knowledge, behaviors, and barriers towards evidence-based practice: A cross-sectional study

“…In comparison to the previous conducted studies in Saudi Arabia, 10,14,19,20,24 this study investigated the 6-domain of the EBP, which makes it more comprehensive than those studies that studied specific domains without paying enough attention to other domains such as attention to literature and information availability. Therefore, the current study's findings can be relied upon more than others in making the necessary decisions to enhance EBP implementation.…”

“…Physiotherapists in several nations have been polled using this questionnaire. [21,[25][26][27][28] The 6-domain were covered in the following order: EBP-related attitudes and beliefs (questionnaire items 1-9), interest in and motivation to engage in EBP (items 10 and 11), availability of information (items [15][16][17][18][19][20], educational background, knowledge and skills related to accessing and interpreting information (items [21][22][23][24][25][26][27], and perceived barriers to using evidence in practice (survey item 28). The majority of the items covering attitudes and beliefs, education, knowledge, and abilities pertinent to EBP were assessed using a 5-point Likert scale with the anchors "strongly disagree" and "strongly agree."…”

“…[10] Another study looked at Saudi physiotherapists who only work at public hospitals in the Eastern region of Saudi Arabia. [24] While the clinical practice guidelines availability, information accessibility, and attention literature, were not fully taken into account in most of the previous studies. The aforementioned studies show that they did not include all 6-domain of EBP, nor were they applied throughout Saudi Arabia.…”