Self‐reported Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviour towards Evidence‐based Practice of Occupational Therapy Students in Ireland

Abstract

It is widely accepted that the occupational therapy profession needs to incorporate research findings into clinical practice so as to improve client outcomes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the knowledge and attitudes toward evidence-based practice (EBP) of occupational therapy students in the Republic of Ireland. A validated questionnaire was used to survey the population of final-year students from the four universities in Ireland in 2008. There was a response rate of 77% (n = 86) to the Knowledge, Attitude and Behaviour Questionnaire. All students reported that they had a clear understanding of EBP and were willing to practice EBP in the future. The majority (85%, n = 73) reported accessing evidence weekly or more often. Lack of time and fieldwork educators not practising EBP were important barriers for 31% (n = 27) and 27% (n = 23), respectively. Over half (55%, n = 47) reported difficulty in finding evidence. The internet (28%, n = 24) and textbooks (27%, n = 23) were the most popular sources of evidence. Limitations include the self-report, cross-sectional design. Future research could include longitudinal studies to understand the transfer of learning into clinical practice.

Changes in Knowledge, Skills, and Confidence in Fieldwork Educators After an Evidence-Based Practice Short Course

“…OT students are expected to establish treatment plans from the results of their evaluations that integrate EBP, as well as use evidence to inform their intervention choices. Stronge and Cahill (2012) surveyed OT students in Ireland who were in the last year of their OT program (n = 111) and found that 40% of the students did not observe EBP during fieldwork.…”

“…Twenty percent of these students reported that they did not view themselves as evidence-based clinicians (Stronge & Cahill, 2012). While there are not currently any published studies in the United States with similar methodologies, there has been research regarding the preparation of OT students for using EBP during fieldwork.…”

“…While Stronge and Cahill (2012) and Stube and Jedlicka (2007) examined the relationship of the student and fieldwork educator from the student's perspective, Thomas and Law (2014) examined the OT practitioner's perspective. They surveyed 1,800 Canadian occupational therapists working with children or older adults to determine supports for EBP and attitudes toward these supports.…”

“…Reported common barriers to implementing EBP by these occupational therapists mirrored findings in other allied health professions. Barriers were focused on the process of finding appropriate evidence and implementing it, including difficulty defining a clinical question; limited searching and appraisal skills; lack of confidence, training, and familiarity with search strategies; difficulties in using databases, difficulty understanding research terminology, statistics, and critical appraisal skills; a perceived lack of evidence to support the use of specific interventions; and uncertainty if the evidence was applicable to clients and practice (Copley & Allen, 2009;Crabtree et al, 2012;Fruth et al, 2010;Graham et al, 2013;Hankemeier & Van Lunen, 2011;Stronge & Cahill, 2012). In addition, there are environmental barriers, such as lack of time or money to pursue EBP, large caseloads, poor organizational support, limited access to published information, and poor patient compliance (Crabtree et al, 2012;Fruth et al, 2010;Stronge & Cahill, 2012).…”

“…The medical students demonstrated improvements in confidence in specific areas, including creating clinical questions, being aware of resources, and identifying gaps in their professional practice (Ilic et al, 2012) Several of the participants did not complete the posttest, nor did they actively engage in the online message boards. This may have been due to barriers to implementation of EBP noted in the literature review, including a lack of time or money to pursue EBP, large caseloads, or poor organizational support (Crabtree et al, 2012;Fruth et al, 2010;Stronge & Cahill, 2012). The original purpose of the message boards was to allow the participants to ask questions to improve their understanding of the material and for the author to facilitate discussion related to the final steps of EBP.…”