Research activities contributing to evidence-based practice implementation in Japanese rehabilitation professionals

[Purpose] This study aimed to determine whether certain research activities improve the attitude of rehabilitation professionals towards evidence-based practice and its implementation in Japan. [Participants and Methods] We included physical, occupational, and speech therapists currently working in clinical settings. We employed hierarchical multiple regression analyses to assess the attitude of rehabilitation professionals towards evidence-based practice and research activities. Scores of the five dimensions of the Health Sciences-Evidence Based Practice questionnaire were considered the dependent variables. The five dimensions were as follows: Dimension 1, attitude towards evidence-based practice; Dimensions 2-4, evidence-based practice implementation; and Dimension 5, work environment related to evidence-based practice barriers-facilitators. The four sociodemographic variables (gender, academic degree, clinical experience, and the number of therapists at work) were initially included, following which self-reported research achievements were supplemented as independent variables (the number of case studies, literature reviews, cross-sectional studies, and longitudinal studies). [Results] We analyzed data from 167 participants. In addition to sociodemographic variables, the research achievements that statistically increased F-values of the modeling were case study achievements in Dimensions 2-3, cross-sectional study achievements in Dimensions 2 and 4, and longitudinal study achievements in Dimension 5. [Conclusion] Case studies and cross-sectional studies could improve evidence-based practice implementation among rehabilitation professionals in Japan.