World Physiotherapy Africa Region Conference System, 10th WCPT Africa Region Congress

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ACCESSIBILITY AND USE OF WEB-BASED EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE RESOURCES AMONG PHYSICAL THERAPISTS
Olaide Sangoseni

Last modified: 2014-01-20

Abstract


Purpose/Hypothesis : Evidence-based practice (EBP) allows thecomparison of PT services and facilitates uniformity in the interpretation ofPT outcomes and measures. Many studies have found that certain factors,including demographic characteristics, facilitate or hinder the adoption of EBPby physical therapists (PTs). Some studies found correlations between webaccessibility and EBP regardless of a PT’s geographic location, while othersfound no significant difference in the use of EBP resources among those withorganizational access to the internet. The aim of this study was to evaluatethe relationship between availability, accessibility, and use of online EBPresources among PTs in two geographic locations.Number of Subjects: 162 PTs.  United States (n=137) and Nigeria (n=25) Materials/Methods: Participants completed a survey designed to describethe relationship between certain demographic characteristics and factors suchas accessibility, availability and use of technology, technology behavioralpatterns, attitudes, and clinical practices of PTs with regard to use of EBP.Pearson’s correlation, and Chi square analyses, was used to explore therelationships between the factors and the demographic characteristics of thesubjects.Results : Response rate was 23%. The majority of respondents (70%) useonline databases to access EBP resources. 58.4% reported insufficient time is abarrier to seeking primary EBP resources. The four of the 15 demographicvariables found to have significant interactions (p < .05) with access to theinternet are the country location, age, highest degree obtained, and the numberof PTs at a workplace. PTs in Nigeria had a lower rate of access per week (mean7.56 ± 1.6times) to the internet compared to their US-based PT counterparts(mean 8.19 ± 1.2times). Regardless of country, per month, younger PTs ages20-29years (mean 21.30 ± 2.8times), were more likely to report a higherutilization rate of EBP resources than PTs ≥ 60years (mean 15.00 ± 4.3times).PTs with doctoral degrees reported a higher usage rate of EBP resources thanthose with bachelor’s degrees. PTs working in larger facilities (with ≥ 10 PTs)used more online EBP resources than PTs working in smaller facilities. Thisstudy found no significant relationship between the amount of time spent indirect patient care and the utilization of EBP.Conclusions : This study found that difficulty in locating andintegrating empirical research findings, seemed to have been ameliorated by theavailability and accessibility of online EBP resources and the move to the DPT.PTs in this study are taking advantage of innovative technology to engage inEBP. In addition, this group of PTs also showed a reliance on secondary EBPresources compared to a lower preference for time-consuming primary or originalempirical evidence databases. Clinical Relevance : Online availability and conciseness of EBPresources facilitates comprehension and application in clinical practice.

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