Occupational Therapists' Self-Reported Research Utilization and Use of Online Evidence Sources

Area of Science:

• Occupational therapy
• Evidence-based practice
• Health services research

Background:

• Limited research utilization by occupational therapists impacts service quality and cost-effectiveness.
• Previous studies indicate a general deficit in applying research findings within clinical occupational therapy practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate research utilization behaviors among occupational therapists.
• To compare research utilization between users and non-users of the Navigator® online platform.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study employing survey methodology.
• Data collected on occupational therapists' research utilization habits.
• Comparison of behaviors based on Navigator® platform usage.

Main Results:

• Overall low levels of research utilization were observed among occupational therapists.
• Navigator® users demonstrated a higher likelihood of utilizing online databases compared to non-users.

Conclusions:

• The Navigator® platform may facilitate access to research resources, particularly online databases.
• Future research should explore the impact of online platforms combined with targeted training on improving occupational therapists' research utilization and evidence-based practice implementation.