Evidence based practice in clinical physiotherapy education: a qualitative interpretive description

Area of Science:

• Physiotherapy Education
• Evidence-Based Practice (EBP)
• Clinical Training

Background:

• Undergraduate healthcare students are expected to adopt evidence-based practice (EBP) post-graduation.
• Existing research highlights challenges students face in translating EBP into real-world patient care.
• Limited studies have explored the underlying reasons for these EBP transfer difficulties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the beliefs, experiences, and attitudes of third-year physiotherapy students regarding EBP.
• To investigate the perspectives of clinical instructors and visiting teachers on student EBP utilization.
• To identify barriers and facilitators to EBP implementation in clinical physiotherapy education.

Main Methods:

• Conducted six focus group interviews with 16 students, 9 clinical instructors, and 4 visiting teachers.
• Performed additional individual and paired interviews with clinical instructors for in-depth insights.
• Employed interpretive description methodology for comparative analysis across participant groups.

Main Results:

• Identified four key themes: 'attempt to apply EBP', 'novices in clinical practice', 'prioritize practice experience over EBP', and 'lack role models in EBP'.
• Students demonstrated positive attitudes by seeking and attempting to apply research evidence.
• Students, as novices, relied on instructors and prioritized practical experience, often supported by educators, over EBP. A lack of EBP culture and role models was noted.

Conclusions:

• Clinical instructors are pivotal role models with significant influence on student EBP adoption.
• Academic and clinical settings must enhance clinical instructor EBP competence.
• Further research is needed to evaluate interventions aimed at improving EBP competence in instructors and its impact on student practice.