A Quasi-Experimental Study of a Basics of Evidence-Based Practice Educational Intervention for Health and Social Care Professionals

Abstract

Education is one of the central interventions to promote evidence-based practice (EBP) in service organizations. An educational intervention to promote EBP among health and social care professionals was implemented in a Finnish hospital. The aim of this study was to explore the outcomes of an educational intervention, focusing on the basics of EBP for health and social care professionals, using a quasi-experimental study design. The data were collected with a questionnaire before, immediately after, and 6 months after the education ( n = 48). The data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and nonparametric tests. Immediately after the education, an increase was found in the EBP knowledge of participants, in participants’ confidence in their own ability to conduct database searches and read scientific articles, and in the number of participants using databases at work. Six months after the education, improvements were still found between the first and the third measurement in the participants’ knowledge and confidence in their own ability to conduct database searches and read scientific articles. The number of those who had made an initiative about a research topic regarding the development of their own work had increased from the first to the third measurement. The educational intervention produced a statistically significant improvement on most of the areas evaluated. Significant improvements were often found even 6 months after the education was finished. However, the low completion rate and a quasi-experimental before and after design limit the conclusions that can be derived from this study.

Effectiveness of an Academic-Practice Team Approach on Research Capacity Building of Nurses and Public Health Professionals

“…Though commonly used in the field of social work, public health, and education, the difference between pre-and posttest may have been affected by other confounding factors such as history, maturation, and testing effects [ 47 ]. Additionally, the eight-month APTP-RCB program had a dropout rate of 46.7%, similar to the study by Melender et al [ 48 ] who reported a dropout rate of 42.2% after participating in their six month intervention. This may be due to time-consuming and routine workload as frequently encountered in limited health resources settings.…”

Organizational culture and readiness for evidence‐based practice in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A pre‐experimental study

“…In tandem with students' perception of improved organizational culture and readiness for EBP, over the course of the study, students' EBP beliefs and EBP implementation also improved and were sustained at Time 2 (Leufer et al, 2021 ). This suggests a relationship between these variables and reflects the findings of other similar studies (Breckenridge‐Sproat et al, 2015 ; Cleary‐Holdforth, 2020 ; Gorsuch et al, 2020 ; Melender et al, 2020 ; Melnyk et al, 2017 ; Milner et al, 2018 ; Williams et al, 2015 ; Yoo et al, 2019 ). Findings demonstrated widespread opportunities for intervention, highlighting context‐specific areas that can be targeted and improved, and offering insight into strategies that can be recommended.…”

“…This suggests a relationship between these variables and reflects the findings of other similar studies (Breckenridge-T A B L E 1 Organizational culture and readiness for EBP survey • The extent to which clinicians model EBP in their clinical settings. Sproat et al, 2015;Cleary-Holdforth, 2020;Gorsuch et al, 2020;Melender et al, 2020;Melnyk et al, 2017;Milner et al, 2018;Williams et al, 2015;Yoo et al, 2019). Findings demonstrated widespread opportunities for intervention, highlighting context-specific areas that can be targeted and improved, and offering insight into strategies that can be recommended.…”

Exploring the potential impact of applying web-based training program on nurses’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes regarding evidence-based practice: A quasi-experimental study

“…The use of EBP is strongly correlated with better patient outcomes, including shorter hospital stays, lower readmission rates, lower mortality [ 3 ], lower health disparities, and decreased trial and error due to ineffective medical procedures [ 4 ]. Moreover, it aids in the standardization of nursing practices, and the development of nurses’ bodies of knowledge [ 5 , 6 ].…”