Librarians and occupational therapy faculty: a collaboration for teaching evidence-based practice

Students in allied health educational programs learn evidence-based practice (EBP) skills, yet often do not consistently utilize these skills as practitioners. Barriers to implementing EBP include time pressures and lack of skill. This descriptive study explains how librarians can teach information literacy skills and strengthen knowledge of EBP in graduate occupational therapy (OT) students. The goal of the study was to evaluate students' perception of the effectiveness of learning activities about EBP, and librarians' perception of the value of teaching in an OT curriculum. Sixty-three students at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio read articles and learned didactic information from OT faculty and librarians about EBP. Students researched intervention questions and electronically sent searches to librarians for feedback. Students applied skills by researching an intervention of their choice. Evaluative data were collected from students in 2009 and 2010 and from librarians in 2009. Both groups rated the learning experiences highly. Students felt the learning experiences improved their effectiveness in carrying out EBP. Librarians valued the experience of teaching information literacy to OT students. These results support other studies showing librarians' effectiveness in developing EBP skills in students. Recommendations are given about using journal clubs and secondary literature to ensure the use of EBP at the workplace.