Awareness, Attitude, and Barriers on Evidence-Based Practice among Physical Therapists in Ilocos

Abstract

Aim: To determine the awareness and attitude on evidence-based practice (EBP) among physical therapists in Ilocos and identify the barriers to implementation in clinical practice. Method: This study employed a descriptive cross-sectional research design using a pilot-tested and validated questionnaire on awareness, attitude, and barriers in EBP and conducted a key informant interview (KII). A total of 48 practicing physical therapists (hospital = 21; clinic = 18; homecare = 9) in Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur participated in the study considering ethical guidelines. Descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage, and mean were used to analyze the collected data. Results: The majority of the respondents were recent graduates with less than five years of clinical experience. The respondents were moderately aware (𝑋̅ = 4.11) of the use of EBP and had a positive attitude (𝑋̅ = 4.34) on using it on a day-to-day basis. The top three barriers that hindered the use of EBP is lack of time (37.5%) due to heavy workload, inability to apply research findings to patients with unique characteristics and (20.8%) and lack of research skills, lack of understanding of statistical analysis and lack of interest (12.5%). Conclusion and Implications: There is an increasing awareness of EBP among physical therapists in Ilocos, which positively influenced clinical practice. Results of the study may further encourage the daily practical application of EBP among physical therapists in clinical practice.