The physical therapy profession has recognized the use of evidence-based practice (EBP) as central to providing high-quality care and decreasing unwarranted variation.
APTA's House of Delegates position, Evidence-based Practice states:
To promote improved quality of care and patient/client outcomes, the American Physical Therapy Association supports and promotes the development and utilization of evidence-based practice that includes the integration of best available research, clinical expertise, and patient values and circumstances related to patient/client management, practice management, and health policy decision making.
In a 2003 survey by Jette et al, "Evidence-Based Practice: Beliefs, Attitudes, Knowledge, and Behaviors of Physical Therapists," the majority of participants agreed or strongly agreed that: EBP is necessary, research literature is useful to practice, EBP improves the quality of patient care, and evidence helps in decision making. The 2012 APTA House of Delegates placed a high value on EBP as well. During a session to consider the APTA vision, one of the two highest-ranked concepts was "Expert researchers and clinicians collaborate to advance, validate and translate evidence into clinical practice." And in the 2012 vision environmental scan, 3,061 respondents rated the current "Effectiveness of Care" strategic outcome as the most important "key element" of Vision 2020 for the next 5 to 10 years.
In spite of this, obstacles to implementation remain. In the Jette survey respondents indicated the primary barrier to implementing EBP was lack of time. In a recent member survey conducted by APTA and the Section on Research, time remains one of the greatest barriers to using research in practice. Although clinicians and managers alike recognize the value in using evidence in their clinical practice, many remain daunted by the undertaking. APTA's "Research to Practice" initiative is focused on addressing just this issue.
APTA already provides members with valuable information on searching research databases, as well as access to full-text articles on the Evidence and Research page that includes Hooked on Evidence, Open Door: APTA's Portal to Evidence-based Practice, APTA's professional journal PTJ, and PTNow, a new clinician portal with resources for evidence-based practice.
Evidence-based practice encompasses more than just applying the best available evidence, although many of the concerns and barriers to using evidence-based practice revolve around finding and applying research. To help clinical settings address this issue, APTA is collecting existing and developing new resources that provide practical and innovative information on incorporating research into everyday practice. Resources will include information on a variety of methods, models, and real-life examples with application to various settings and patient populations.
Please let us know if you have a strategy you are using in your practice to promote the use of evidence in clinical decision making. We would love to share your ideas, challenges, and success with others. To let APTA know what you are doing in this area or for any questions about this initiative, please contact Lisa Culver, PT, DPT, MBA, senior specialist, Clinical Practice at 800/999-2782, ext. 3172, or lisaculver@apta.org.
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