Possible solutions to enhance evidence-based practice proposed by rehabilitation professionals in Japan: a Delphi study.
Hiroshi Takasaki, Takahiro Ueno
PMID 36628142WHAT IT FOUND
Japanese PTs, OTs, and STs agreed on 10 ways to promote evidence-based practice, such as communication skills, accessible guidelines, continuous support, flexible training, and observing clinicians using it.
These are expert recommendations, not tested interventions.
Key findings
01Ten of 29 proposed solutions reached consensus criteria in the final round.
02The agreed solutions included improving communication skills (92.4% agreement), promoting awareness of EBP and practice guidelines (84.7%), making EBP information more publicly available (84.0%), offering continuous support (83.2%), gradually applying new practices (83.2%), setting up training sessions without fixed place or time (81.7%), observing how people implement EBP (77.1%), making students aware of EBP from training school stage (77.1%), holding awareness sessions to motivate staff (74.0%), and establishing a subsidy scheme for workplace EBP learning (70.2%).
03Solutions tied to busy staff schedules did not reach consensus.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study involved 389 eligible therapists from one Japanese association, with response rates of 42.9%, 47.0%, and 33.7% across rounds. The final analysis had 131 participants, and 6 missing agreement data in the third round were not imputed. Most eligible participants were PTs (328 of 389), with 55 OTs and 6 STs, so results may not represent OT or ST populations. The authors state the consensus solutions are not known to be effective. The Delphi process required assessors to rephrase participant comments, so original ideas may not have been perfectly included. Educational and research members were excluded, so academic therapists were not represented. The study may have underestimated individual factors, such as self-learning, because it targeted clinicians with low levels of EBP practice.
Declared interests
No funding or conflict of interest was reported.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat the 10 agreed solutions as evidence that they work. The study reports what Japanese therapists agreed might help, and the authors say it is unknown whether these solutions are effective.