Background: Evidence Based Practice (EBP) includes integration of best available research, clinical expertise, and patient values and circumstances related to patient and client management, practice management. EBP approach can lead to enhanced quality of whole health care and is important to professional development of physiotherapists. The purpose of the study was to assess the level of knowledge, attitude and practice of Evidence-Based Practice among Physiotherapy students.
Methodology: One hundred and thirty-two Post-Graduate physiotherapy students of Gujarat University were included using convenience sampling. Participants were given the Evidence-Based Practice Profile (EBP2) to complete. The Evidence-Based Practice Profile (EBP2) takes 10-12 minutes to complete and consists of a total of 58 items, each using a 5-point Likert scale and other characteristics. The questionnaire includes five domains. Descriptive Analysis was done in Microsoft excel.
Results: The EBP2 was completed by 100 subjects (Student response rate:-75.75%). 92 were females and 8 were males with mean age 23.27±1.15 years. Mean total domain score (maximum) in Relevance was 57.57±7.38 (70), Terminology was 59.74±10.6 (85), Confidence was 37.29±9.64 (55), Sympathy was 19.3±3.89 (35), Practice was 26.38±7.95 (45).
Conclusion: There was a fair knowledge (Relevance, Terminology) of EBP, fairly positive attitude (Sympathy, Confidence) and fair practice (Practice) of EBP among post graduate students of Gujarat University.
Implication: There is a need to educate students at undergraduate level to improve practice of EBP at post graduate (professional) level and progress the profession’s approach to developing, using and promoting research and its contribution to generating new evidence, knowledge transfer and service improvement.
Key words: Evidence Based Practice; Physiotherapy; Post Graduate Students.
Knowledge, Attitude and Practice towards Evidence Based Practice in Post Graduate Physiotherapy Students
