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What do physical therapists think about evidence-based practice? A systematic review.
Tatiane Mota da Silva1, Lucíola da Cunha Menezes Costa1, Alessandra Narciso Garcia1
1Masters and Doctoral Programs in Physical Therapy, Universidade Cidade de São Paulo, Brazil.
Manual Therapy
|December 3, 2014
Summary
Physiotherapists generally view Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) positively but face significant barriers. Improving EBP knowledge, skills, and behaviors requires addressing challenges like time constraints and statistical understanding.
Area of Science:
- Health Sciences
- Physical Therapy
- Evidence-Based Practice
Background:
- Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) is increasingly integral to healthcare.
- Physiotherapists' engagement with EBP warrants systematic investigation.
- Understanding EBP adoption is crucial for optimizing patient care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review current evidence on physiotherapists' knowledge, skills, behavior, opinions, and barriers related to EBP.
- To synthesize findings from quantitative cross-sectional studies on EBP in physiotherapy.
Main Methods:
- Comprehensive literature search across multiple databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PSYCINFO, LILACS, SciELO) up to September 2014.
- Inclusion of 12 quantitative cross-sectional studies with a pooled sample of 6411 participants.
- Risk of bias assessment using established criteria for sample representativeness, response rate, data accuracy, power calculation, and instrumentation.
Main Results:
- Knowledge: 21-82% reported prior EBP information.
- Skills/Behavior: ~50% used databases for clinical decisions.
- Opinions: Majority deemed EBP necessary/important.
- Barriers: Lack of time, statistical understanding, employer support, resources, interest, and generalizability were most common.
Conclusions:
- Physiotherapists largely support EBP but identify needs for enhanced knowledge, skills, and behavior.
- Implementation is hindered by practical barriers including time and resource limitations.
- Further strategies are needed to overcome identified barriers and promote EBP integration in physiotherapy practice.
