TY - JOUR
T1 - Knowledge and use of evidence-based practice by allied health and health science professionals in the United Kingdom
AU - Upton, Dominic
AU - Upton, Penney
PY - 2006/9
Y1 - 2006/9
N2 - Clinical effectiveness (CE) and evidence-based practice (EBP) are the cornerstone of modern-day health care. Although many studies have explored attitudes and perceived knowledge of individual professions, few have compared these factors between professional groups, especially in the allied health professions (AHP) and health science services (HSS). We report a study comparing the knowledge and practice of 14 different professional groups from the AHP and HSS in terms of EBP and CE. The aim was to highlight any differences between the 14 professional groups along with the needs of the groups. A postal questionnaire survey was completed by a random sample of 1,000 members of AHP and HSS across the United Kingdom. There were significant differences between professional groups with, in general, professionals from the HSS groups rating their knowledge and application of CE and EBP as lower than members of the AHP. Differences were also noted between individual professional groups. For example, podiatrists, radiographers, and orthoptists reported having less knowledge of CE and EBP than physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dietitians, speech and language therapists, and psychologists. Barriers to implementing EBP were similar for all groups, with lack of both time and money cited as the main issues. A number of differences between professions were recorded that highlight the difference in educational and policy approach required for greater uptake of EBP.
AB - Clinical effectiveness (CE) and evidence-based practice (EBP) are the cornerstone of modern-day health care. Although many studies have explored attitudes and perceived knowledge of individual professions, few have compared these factors between professional groups, especially in the allied health professions (AHP) and health science services (HSS). We report a study comparing the knowledge and practice of 14 different professional groups from the AHP and HSS in terms of EBP and CE. The aim was to highlight any differences between the 14 professional groups along with the needs of the groups. A postal questionnaire survey was completed by a random sample of 1,000 members of AHP and HSS across the United Kingdom. There were significant differences between professional groups with, in general, professionals from the HSS groups rating their knowledge and application of CE and EBP as lower than members of the AHP. Differences were also noted between individual professional groups. For example, podiatrists, radiographers, and orthoptists reported having less knowledge of CE and EBP than physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dietitians, speech and language therapists, and psychologists. Barriers to implementing EBP were similar for all groups, with lack of both time and money cited as the main issues. A number of differences between professions were recorded that highlight the difference in educational and policy approach required for greater uptake of EBP.
KW - Allied Health Personnel Education
KW - Allied Health Personnel United Kingdom
KW - Clinical Competence
KW - Confidence Intervals
KW - Descriptive Statistics
KW - Female
KW - Health Knowledge
KW - Health Occupations
KW - Health Personnel Education
KW - Human
KW - Male
KW - Medical Practice, Evidence-Based
KW - One-Way Analysis of Variance
KW - Post Hoc Analysis
KW - Questionnaires
KW - Summated Rating Scaling
KW - Surveys
KW - Test-Retest Reliability
KW - United Kingdom
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33749364045&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Article
C2 - 17036666
AN - SCOPUS:33749364045
SN - 0090-7421
VL - 35
SP - 127
EP - 133
JO - Journal of Allied Health
JF - Journal of Allied Health
IS - 3
ER -