What Can Evidence Implementation Learn from Barack Obama's Campaign?

Abstract

Evidence-based practice is recognized as an important element of health care. Over the past decade it has become an expected component of physiotherapy practice. It is widely recognized that as clinicians, physiotherapists are expected to identify evidence, access it, and incorporate it into their clinical practice. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that there are major difficulties in implementing new innovations in traditional health care practices.1 While there is widespread acknowledgement across all stakeholders (patients, physiotherapists, referrers, and funders) of the need to bridge the evidence–practice gap, achieving practice change and implementing evidence is difficult. There is an increasing number of systematic reviews on the effectiveness of various interventions to address barriers and promote behaviour change.2–4 However, these secondary evidence sources indicate that there is no one-size-fits-all approach for promoting change. As Barack Obama's presidential campaign was all about change, it can inform evidence implementation and provide lessons to those who need to address barriers to change in clinical practice.