Effect of education on physical and occupational therapists' perceptions of clinical practice guidelines and shared decision making: a randomized controlled trial.

The study measured self-reported confidence (self-efficacy) in evidence-based practice, not actual changes in clinical behavior or patient outcomes. We do not know if therapists who attended the workshop actually used guidelines or shared decision-making differently with patients. All participants were from Japanese medical institutions, and the authors note that Japanese therapists generally have lower awareness of clinical guidelines compared to therapists in Western countries. The results may not apply to therapists in other countries with different educational backgrounds. The study recruited therapists from facilities that agreed to participate in research on these topics, which may mean the participants already had a higher interest or baseline knowledge in shared decision-making and guidelines than the general therapist population. The intervention was a single two-hour session. The study does not show how long the increase in self-efficacy lasted or whether it required ongoing support to maintain. The randomization method was changed during the study from the originally registered protocol, though the authors state there was no deviation from the overall study protocol.

The work was supported by a grant from the Japan Primary Care Association. The authors declared no competing interests.

Do not interpret the increased self-efficacy scores as evidence that therapists changed their clinical practice or that patients received better care. The study only measured participants' reported confidence in using evidence-based practice immediately after a two-hour educational session.