The View and Use of Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM)

Survey: The View and Use of Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) By North Carolina School-based Physical Therapists Completion of this survey is voluntary and appreciated! The information gathered from this survey will be used anonymously for a final DPT practicum project by a NC school-based PT. The project will be shared and utilized, as appropriate, to assist NC School Based PTs. Please send any questions or concerns to Jessica Lambeth, [email protected]

1) In the past five years, have you participated in any conferences or courses on the use of EBM (such as the lecture by Susan Effgen at the EC conference in 2006)? Please list: ______

Total of ____ people at the EC conference, with a return rate of ____%. Of the 41 respondents, 73% had participated in a course on the use of EBM in the past 5 years. The most frequent EBM course attended (56% of the 41 respondents was the 2006 PT Institute. Other courses had 4 or less attendants.

Did it change your view of EBM? 1. Absolutely 2. Yes, it did 3. Maybe a little bit 4. No, not really 5. Nothing changed

53% (1 and 2), 30% (3), 6% (4 and 5)

Did it change your practice of EBM? 1. Absolutely 2. Yes, it did 3. Maybe a little bit 4. No, not really 5. Nothing changed

30% (1 and 2), 57% (3), 13% (4 and 5)

2) Please share a short description of your view of EBM.______

Coding results (responses may contain more than one code), Number of occurrences listed prior to the primary answers:

First set of answers responses related to why we should use EBM (12) Positive impact to our clinical practice, Ex: “A valuable tool necessary to make educated decisions about POC/RX/etc” “Research based information to use as a basis to make decisions, set appropriate goals and determine interventions” (11) The correct way to practice, Ex: “Right way to practice” “The way we should practice” (7) Necessary for justification and validation of our practice: “It is essential for developing autonomy in practice and having research to back up are decisions” “Important to validate what we do to help improve f(x) of kids”

Second set of answers related to what is EBM (10) Based on Research/Studies, Ex: “The use of research based methods that have been documented and peer reviewed in the practice of physical therapy” “Research techniques and practices that can be implemented in practice” (10) Practices with proven efficacy, Ex: “Practice that have proven efficacy through research” “using strategies/techniques that have proven to have significant outcomes”

See data compilation sheet for additional answers

3) Do you believe the use of EBM is relevant and necessary for PTs in the school system? (Circle one) Yes No Please describe why or why not: ______

Coding results (responses may contain more than one code), Number of occurrences listed prior to the primary answers:

Improved Clinical Practice (7) Assists in Decision Making, Ex: “Don’t waste time doing things that don’t work” “It helps us determine how best to help the students in our care and whether PT is needed based on appropriate expectations of the students progress.” (6) Results in Best Outcome, Ex: “Need to use proven effective strategies for positive results” “want to get the best outcome, most efficiently with the least amount of time” (5) Use of Proven Treatment Strategies, Ex: “Effective use of appropriate interventions maximizes a child’s time and increases outcomes” “We need to be able to support our tx decisions and that includes why we use a certain tx technique and why we don’t use a tx technique”

(8) Validation/Justification for what we do, Ex: “Promotes necessity of PT in schools” “Any treatment which we are able to validate results authenticates our practice both in schools and other environments”

4) Are you comfortable searching for and using EBM? (Circle one) Yes No What sources do you or would you use? (Please rank in order of preference/frequency of use) __ Books __Internet __Professional Journals __Guide to Physical Therapy __Other periodicals, newspapers/magazines __Advise from mentors/peers __Continuing Education courses __Other: ______Other: ______Frequency of Responses (from Highest to Lowest, included checks if not ranked): Internet (37), Continuing Education Courses (36), Professional Journals (33), Advise from mentors/peers (31), Books (28), Guide (18), Other periodicals, newspapers/magazines (17)

Average Ranking (of responses that had a rank, not a check or left blank) Continuing Education Courses (2.5), Internet (2.6), Advise from mentors/peers (2.9), Professional Journals (3.2), Books (3.8), Guide to Physical Therapy (4.5), Other periodicals, newspapers/magazines (5.5)

5) Are you comfortable?  determining the level of evidence and relevance of the source, (circle one) Yes No 37 Respondents (OR = of those that responded by circling “Yes” or “No”, T = of the total number of respondents, some who left this question blank) Yes No Blank 19 18 5 51% (OR) 46% (T) 49% (OR) 44% (T) 12%

 interpreting statistics (circle one) Yes No 37 Respondents Yes No Blank 12 25 5 32% (OR) 29% (T) 68% (OR) 61% (T) 12%

 interpreting the authors’ conclusions as appropriate, (circle one) Yes No 35 Responses Yes No Blank 23 12 6 66% (OR) 56% (T) 34% (OR) 29% (T) 15%

When evaluating EBM? Please comment: ______See complied data sheet for additional responses, general trend towards the need for further training in these areas

6) Please list or describe and rank any potential barriers related to searching and using EBM in your practice: ______Comment: ______

Frequency of Coded Responses (From Highest to Lowest, included checks if not ranked) Top 4 Answers Time (23), Access (9), Unsure how to search for EBM (5), Difficulty finding EBM related to school PT (4) (see compiled data sheet for additional information and examples of coding) Time had the highest percentage of “1” answers, Access had the second highest percentage of “1” answers

7) What do you believe would be beneficial in enhancing the use of EBM in your practice (please list and rank)? ______Comment: ______

Frequency of Coded Responses (From Highest to Lowest, included checks if not ranked) Top 4 Answers Answers were grouped into two categories – Needs related to tools and educational experiences, and personal responses and actions to implement

Needs Related to Tools and Educational Experiences (7) Learn how to appropriately use and access EBM resources (Highest percentage of “1” answers in this category) (7) Access to continuing ed with a relevance to EBM

Personal Responses and Actions to Implement (7) Schedule Time (Highest percentage of “1” answers in this category) (4) Collaborate with Colleagues

(see compiled data sheet for additional information and examples of coding)

8) Additional Comments: ______

(see complied data sheet for list of additional comments)

Thank you!