Promoting Evidence-Based Practice: The Influence of Novel Structural Change to Accelerate Translational...

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Translational Medicine
• Rehabilitation Science

Background:

• Transitioning to a new facility aimed to foster clinician-researcher collaborations in an inpatient rehabilitation hospital.
• The study evaluated the impact of this transition on clinicians' practices and attitudes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess changes in clinicians' use of evidence-based practice (EBP).
• To evaluate clinicians' openness toward EBP.
• To measure clinicians' acceptance of organizational changes following the facility transition.

Main Methods:

• Three repeated surveys were administered to clinicians (n=410, 442, 448) before, and 7-9 months and 2.5 years after the transition.
• Surveys utilized adapted versions of the Evidence-Based Practice Questionnaire (EBPQ), Evidence-Based Practice Attitudes Scale (EBPAS), and Organizational Change Recipients' Beliefs Scale (OCRBS).
• Open-ended survey questions were analyzed using exploratory content analysis.

Main Results:

• Clinicians reported greater use of EBP at 2.5 years post-transition compared to 7-9 months (P=.043).
• Clinicians' attitudes toward EBP remained consistent over time.
• Acceptance of the new model initially decreased but later rebounded, showing higher acceptance at 2.5 years compared to baseline (P<.0001).

Conclusions:

• Successful clinician-researcher collaboration requires sustained effort beyond physical facility changes.
• Organizational responsiveness to clinicians' concerns is crucial for adapting and sustaining collaborative models.
• Sufficient time, potentially years, is necessary for successful transitions in translational medicine models.