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

Abstract

Occupational therapy practitioners may encounter challenges when they try to incorporate evidence into practice. To embrace evidence-based practice (EBP), clinicians must have readily available, relevant, and concisely summarized evidence. Although researchers have described the importance and process of EBP, less has been written about how to efficiently integrate evidence into practice. Clinicians may benefit from examples of reasoning, strategies, and resources to successfully integrate evidence. This article reviews the steps of EBP and offers recommendations to overcome common barriers. For EBP to become integrated into practice, greater communication and collaboration among all stakeholders must occur. EBP and knowledge translation require multiple processes and coordinated efforts. Therefore, everyone from practitioners to employers has a role in increasing EBP and transferring knowledge for practice. To encourage discussion and actions, the article provides implications and recommendations for practitioners, researchers, educators, organizations, and policymakers.

Supporting evidence-based practice: Changes in service provision and practitioners’ attitudes following EBP Service Centre consultation – a qualitative study / Evidenzbasierte Praxis unterstützen: Veränderungen der Arbeitsweise und der Einstellungen von Ergotherapeuten/-innen durch die Nutzung eines EBP Service Centers - eine qualitative Studie

“…Outsourcing the steps of searching and appraising seemed to stimulate critical thinking and questioning but also the willingness to integrate new knowledge in practice. Strategies that support practitioners whenever their questions arise might have another effect than strategies that inform without (Lin et al, 2010). Using skills and knowledge as well as librarian resources from academia to run the EBP Service Centre might be a new, effective and efficient strategy to implement EBP.…”

“…System-level support, leaders and employers, resources as well as university support and partnership are examples of supportive factors at the organisational level. Other authors focus on different stakeholders, such as educators, clinicians, researchers, managers, administrators and policymakers as well as professional associations and organisations, and their potential role in increasing EBP (Lin, Murphy, & Robinson, 2010).…”

“…Whenever a researcher tries to recruit practitioners to participate in a project and ask them to follow the study plan, a positive attitude and commitment are prerequisites. However, mutual recognition is also a mandate for researchers to focus research on topics, which are clinically relevant (Lin et al, 2010;Kielhofner, 2005;Sudsawad, 2005). Participating in the EBP project and learning about EBP seemed to stimulate critical thinking and professional reasoning.…”

Sources of information used by paediatric occupational therapists in Chile to make clinical decisions

“…EBP aims to enhance the quality of clinical services and assists in justifying the impact of health care provided by practitioners (Lin et al, 2010;Rycroft-Malone, 2010;Rycroft-Malone et al, 2004). Practicing based on evidence is a ubiquitous need today, given that research knowledge related to health care is constantly being created and growing exponentially within the globalized world.…”

“…Practicing based on evidence is a ubiquitous need today, given that research knowledge related to health care is constantly being created and growing exponentially within the globalized world. Simultaneously, clients, governments and health policy makers are demanding proof of the effectiveness of occupational therapy to validate it's role in health service provision (Bennett & Bennett, 2000;Lin et al, 2010;Thomas et al, 2012). It is becoming clearer that a range of sources of information are used by occupational therapists to contribute to sound clinical decisions and promote EBP (Hoffmann et al, 2013;Rycroft-Malone et al, 2004).…”