Saudi physiotherapists' attitudes, knowledge, behaviors, and barriers towards evidence-based practice: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background and objective: At present, there is limited knowledge about the determinants of evidence-based practice (EBP) among Saudi physiotherapists. So, this study investigated the attitudes, knowledge, behaviors and perceived barriers of Saudi physiotherapists regarding EBP. Methods: A sample of 323 physiotherapists completed an EBP questionnaire, which was designed to cover six domains of EBP; Attitudes and beliefs, interest, attention to literature, information availability, educational background, and its barriers. Results: The participants concurred that EBP is essential (91%), literature helps practice (75%). EBP enhances patient care (80%), reimbursement rates (82%), and aids in decision-making (75%). They discovered that EBP does not consider patient preferences (37%) or the constraints of the clinical practice (71%). They were interested in enhancing their abilities (80%). They needed to use evidence more frequently in daily work (74%). Seventy-six percent having access to professional publications, and 80% have online access to EBP guidelines. Seventy-one percent disagree that their workplace encouraged the EBP usage. Fifty-one percent had not learned the EBP's fundamentals. Sixty percent had not attended training sessions on finding research, 75% were not confident in their capacity to evaluate professional literature, and locate pertinent research to address clinical concerns (62%). Conclusion: The Saudi physiotherapists have a generally positive attitude toward EBP and are interested in increasing its usage in their practices. However, their attention to literature was relatively low. They need for training sessions for using data base. The lack of time was the most important barrier to EBP.