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Background Healthcare professionals are recommended to use evidence-based practice (EBP) principles to update and improve clinical practice. Well-designed educational initiatives, together with practice and feedback opportunities can improve individuals’ EBP knowledge, skills and attitudes. Methods A concurrent mixed methods assessment was designed to evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of four monthly workshops on allied health professionals’ knowledge, skills, self-efficacy and behaviour. In between workshops, professionals were encouraged to practice and integrate EBP learnings with colleagues in their workplace. Participants completed three pre and post intervention assessments: Evidence-based Practice Confidence Scale; adapted Fresno test; and an adapted EBP Implementation Scale. A purpose designed satisfaction questionnaire was completed immediately after the educational intervention and follow up focus groups were conducted after 3 months. Mean change in assessment data was quantitatively assessed and comments from the clinician satisfaction questionnaire and focus groups were thematically analysed and interpreted together with quantitative data using the Classification Rubric for EBP Assessment tools in Education (CREATE). Results Sixteen allied health professionals participated in the EBP workshops and completed all baseline and post intervention assessments. Seven clinicians participated in follow up focus groups. All clinicians reported a positive reaction to the learning experience, preferring short monthly workshops to a full day session. They self-reported improvements in self-efficacy (mean change 15 p < 0.001) and implementing EBP behaviours (mean change 7, p < 0.001) from pre- to post-intervention. Although the positive change in EBP knowledge measured by the adapted Fresno test was not statistically significant (mean change 10, p = 0.21), clinicians described examples of improved knowledge and skills across all five key steps of EBP during the focus groups. A further, post hoc analysis of individual questions in the two self-reported scales indicated consistent improvement across key EBP knowledge and skills. Conclusions A tailored small group EBP education intervention can enhance AHPs’ self-efficacy to develop answerable questions, search the literature, critically appraise, apply and evaluate research evidence. Through practicing these behaviours and sharing new learning with their peers, allied health professionals can enhance their capability and motivation to use research evidence to potentially improve clinical practice. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12909-019-1567-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Context A range of research methods have been used to understand effective workplace learning in the health professions. The impact of findings from this research usually requires knowledge translation activities in the form of faculty development initiatives, such as supervisor workshops. Far rarer, but with greater potential, are research approaches that concurrently seek to understand and change practice through empowering clinicians to refine aspects of their practice. Methods In this methodological article, we describe video‐reflexive ethnography (VRE), a collaborative visual research approach that seeks to capture, illuminate and optimise in situ work and education practices. Video‐reflexive ethnography usually has three phases: (a) initial familiarisation with practice through field observations; (b) video‐recording of practice, and (c) reflexive sessions about the edited footage with participants and researchers. Drawing on our own experiences as researchers using VRE, we discuss four key principles of VRE: (a) exnovation; (b) collaboration; (c) reflexivity, and (d) care. Discussion Although VRE has been used to illuminate and understand health professionals education, its potential for changing clinical education practices has yet to be realised. Video‐reflexive ethnography enables observation of the social and relational interactions in health care practice and allows individual (and group) perspectives to be articulated and analysed. The approach can prompt fresh perspectives and insights into health care education and practice for researchers and clinicians through shared deliberations about how practice might be reimagined and enacted.

Background: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are often treated with antibiotics and are one of the major sources of antibiotic overuse. Aim: To systematically review randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of community adult women with a history of recurrent UTIs using methenamine hippurate (hippurate) as treatment or prophylaxis. Design and setting: A 2-week systematic review of women (>18 years) with recurrent UTIs using hippurate against placebo, no treatment, or antibiotics. Methods: We searched 3 databases, clinical trial registries and citing-cited references of included studies. Results: We included 6 studies comprising 557 participants: 5 published and one unpublished trial record with results provided; 3 compared hippurate vs placebo or control, and 3 vs antibiotics. The risk of bias was high, mostly from incomplete reporting. For the number of patients remaining asymptomatic, hippurate showed a non-significant trend of benefit vs antibiotics over 12 months (RR 0.65, 95%CI 0.4-1.07, I249%); also vs control over 6/12 months (RR 0.56, 95%CI 0.13-2.35, I293%); and a non-significant trend vs any antibiotic for abacteruria, (RR 0.80, 95%CI 0.62-1.03, I223%). Similar non-significant trends of benefits for hippurate for the number of UTI or bacteriuric episodes. Non-significant difference in the number of patients experiencing adverse events between hippurate and any comparator, with a trend towards benefit for the hippurate. Antibiotic use and resistance were not consistently reported. Conclusion: There is no sufficient evidence to be certain of benefit for hippurate. Further research is needed to test it and consider its use as an alternative for antibiotic treatment for UTI.