Occupational therapists report a low level of knowledge, skill and involvement in evidence-based practice

This study was conducted to collect information about Australian occupational therapists' involvement in evidence-based practice. The study aimed to document: (i) respondents' level of knowledge and skills; (ii) their level of participation in continuing education; and (iii) perceived barriers to evidence-based practice. A purposive sample of 85 occupational therapists was invited to complete a questionnaire prior to attending an introductory workshop on evidence-based practice. Sixty-seven questionnaires were returned and analysed (78.8% response rate). Half of the respondents rated their level of knowledge and skills required for evidence-based practice as low (conducting database searches = 50.7%; critically appraising literature = 53.0%). The majority of respondents (79.1%) reported a low level of knowledge about electronic databases. Few respondents had attended education sessions on evidence-based practice (15.0%). The six most commonly reported barriers to adopting evidence-based practice were lack of time, a large caseload, limited searching skills, limited appraisal skills, difficulty accessing journals and a perceived lack of evidence to support occupational therapy intervention. The majority of occupational therapists in this sample were entering the first phase of continuing professional development in relation to evidence-based practice.