Achieving evidence-based practice: a process of continuing education through practitioner-academic partnership

Area of Science:

• Occupational therapy
• Mental health services
• Evidence-based practice implementation

Background:

• Evidence-based practice (EBP) is crucial in occupational therapy but challenging to implement due to skill and time demands.
• Existing EBP models are often not realized in clinical settings.
• A need exists for practical, context-specific training to foster EBP among therapists.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a collaborative approach to developing an evidence-based practice training program.
• To enable occupational therapists in a mental health setting to engage effectively with EBP.
• To detail the partnership between the United Kingdom Centre for Outcomes Research and Education (UK CORE) and Gloucestershire Partnership NHS Trust (GPT).

Main Methods:

• A collaborative partnership was formed between a research center (UK CORE) and a healthcare trust (GPT).
• A training program was co-designed and built within the practice context of Gloucestershire Partnership NHS Trust.
• The development process, program structure, and evaluation methods were documented.

Main Results:

• A structured evidence-based practice training program was successfully developed and implemented.
• The collaborative model facilitated the integration of research into clinical practice.
• Initial evaluations indicated the program's potential to enhance therapists' EBP skills.

Conclusions:

• Collaborative partnerships are effective in creating contextually relevant EBP training programs.
• This model can be adapted to other mental health settings to promote evidence-based occupational therapy.
• The development and evaluation process provide a blueprint for similar initiatives.