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Background: Health and social care students are expected to apply evidence-based practice (EBP). An innovative mobile application, EBPsteps, was developed to support learning EBP., Aim: The aim of this study was to explore health and social care students' experiences of learning about EBP using the mobile application EBPsteps during their clinical placements., Methods: An interpretive description approach guided the exploration of student experiences. Four focus groups were conducted with a convenience sample of students from three undergraduate degree programs: occupational therapy, physical therapy, and social education. The constant comparison method was used to categorize and compare the qualitative data., Results: Three integrated themes were generated: "triggers for EBP", "barriers to EBP", and "design matters". Information needs, academic requirements, and encouragement from clinical instructors triggered the students to use EBPsteps. Lack of EBP knowledge, lack of academic demand, and lack of emphasis on EBP in clinical placement were barriers to using EBPsteps. Design issues mattered, as use of the app was motivated by design features such as the opportunity to practice EBP in one place and taking notes in a digital notebook. The use of the app was hindered by anticipation that the use of phones during clinical placements would be viewed negatively by others and by specific design features, such as unfamiliar icons., Conclusions: The students perceived the EBPsteps app as a relevant tool for learning EBP, although they also suggested specific changes to the design of the app. Requirements must be embedded in the curriculum to ensure that the app is used. Our findings bring important information to developing and implementing mobile applications as a teaching method in health and social care educations., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Background: Self-reported scales and objective measurement tools are used to evaluate self-perceived and objective knowledge of evidence-based practice (EBP). Agreement between self-perceived and objective knowledge of EBP terminology has not been widely investigated among healthcare students., Aim: The aim of this study was to examine agreement between self-reported and objectively assessed knowledge of EBP terminology among healthcare students. A secondary objective was to explore this agreement between students with different levels of EBP exposure., Methods: Students in various healthcare disciplines and at different academic levels from Norway (n = 336) and Canada (n = 154) were invited to answer the Terminology domain items of the Evidence-Based Practice Profile (EBP2) questionnaire (self-reported), an additional item of 'evidence based practice' and six random open-ended questions (objective). The open-ended questions were scored on a five-level scoring rubric. Interrater agreement between self-reported and objective items was investigated with weighted kappa (Kw). Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to estimate overall agreement., Results: Mean self-reported scores varied across items from 1.99 ('forest plot') to 4.33 ('evidence-based practice'). Mean assessed open-ended answers varied from 1.23 ('publication bias') to 2.74 ('evidence-based practice'). For all items, mean self-reported knowledge was higher than that assessed from open-ended answers (p<0.001). Interrater agreement between self-reported and assessed open-ended items varied (Kw = 0.04-0.69). The overall agreement for the EBP2 Terminology domain was poor (ICC = 0.29). The self-reported EBP2 Terminology domain discriminated between levels of EBP exposure., Conclusion: An overall low agreement was found between healthcare students' self-reported and objectively assessed knowledge of EBP terminology. As a measurement tool, the EBP2 Terminology scale may be useful to differentiate between levels of EBP exposure. When using the scale as a discriminatory tool, for the purpose of academic promotion or clinical certification, users should be aware that self-ratings would be higher than objectively assessed knowledge., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Background: Health care professionals are expected to build decisions upon evidence. This implies decisions based on the best available, current, valid and relevant evidence, informed by clinical expertise and patient values. A multi-professional master's program in evidence-based practice was developed and offered. The aims of this study were to explore how students in this program viewed their ability to apply evidence-based practice and their perceptions of what constitute necessary conditions to implement evidence-based practice in health care organizations, one year after graduation., Methods: A qualitative descriptive design was chosen to examine the graduates' experiences. All students in the first two cohorts of the program were invited to participate. Six focus-group interviews, with a total of 21 participants, and a telephone interview of one participant were conducted. The data was analyzed thematically, using the themes from the interview guide as the starting point., Results: The graduates reported that an overall necessary condition for evidence-based practice to occur is the existence of a "readiness for change" both at an individual level and at the organizational level. They described that they gained personal knowledge and skills to be "change-agents" with "self-efficacy, "analytic competence" and "tools" to implement evidence based practice in clinical care. An organizational culture of a "learning organization" was also required, where leaders have an "awareness of evidence- based practice", and see the need for creating "evidence-based networks"., Conclusions: One year after graduation the participants saw themselves as "change agents" prepared to improve clinical care within a learning organization. The results of this study provides useful information for facilitating the implementation of EBP both from educational and health care organizational perspectives.

Background: Even though health professionals have a positive attitude toward evidence-based practice (EBP), they have limited skills when it comes to implementation of EBP. A postprofessional program in EPB has been offered at Bergen University College since 2004. To date, there is limited knowledge of how the graduates of the program implement and make use of the EBP principles in their working environment in different healthcare settings., Aim: The aim of the study was to explore the facilitators and strategies to successful implementation of the steps of EBP as experienced by health professionals who had completed a postgraduate program in EBP., Methods: Grounded theory was used in gathering and analyzing data from single and focus group interviews of 20 health professionals who had attended a postprofessional program in EBP. Inclusion criteria also required current clinical practice., Results: This study identified a specific set of activities used by health professionals when implementing EBP within their service organization. Creating an interest and understanding of EBP amongst their colleagues appeared to be a challenge, which they addressed by using the generated grounded theory of "tailoring principles." The dominant condition of this theory was management involvement., Linking Evidence to Action: This study highlighted the importance of middle-range managers' coordinating and supporting role as a decisive component in the process of implementing EBP to clinical settings in Norway. Moreover, the dynamic complex process of "tailoring principles" also showed how the production of a clinical protocol became an outcome of implementation effectiveness as well as input for further intervention effectiveness. Tailoring the principle of EBP to the organizational and cultural context facilitated the implementation of EBP., (© 2016 Sigma Theta Tau International.)

Background: Health professionals require a unique set of knowledge and skills in order to meet increasing expectations to use research evidence to inform practice and policy decisions. They need to be able to find, access, interpret, and apply the best available research evidence, along with information about patient preferences, clinical expertise, and the clinical context and resources, to such decisions. This study determined preferences for continuing education following an intensive educational workshop and evaluated the impact of the workshop on evidence informed decision making (EIDM) knowledge, skills, and behaviours., Methods: An explanatory mixed methods, longitudinal study design was implemented among a convenience sample of various health care professionals attending the workshop. EIDM knowledge, skills, and behaviours were quantitatively measured at baseline and six month follow-up, with EIDM knowledge and skills measured additionally immediately following the educational workshop (post-test measurement). To determine participants preferences for continuing education, data were collected using quantitative survey (post-test measurement) and qualitative (individual telephone interviews after six-month follow-up) methods., Results: EIDM knowledge and skills increased significantly from baseline to immediately following the intervention [5.6, 95% CI (3.7, 7.4), P < 0.001] and from baseline to six-month follow-up [3.7, 95% CI (2.1, 5.3), P < 0.001], with a significant decrease from immediately following the intervention to six-month follow-up [-1.9, 95% CI (-3.5, -0.3), P 0.018]. EIDM behaviours increased, but not significantly, from baseline to six-month follow-up [1.7, 95% CI (-0.3, 3.8), P 0.095]. At baseline and six-month follow-up there was a weak, non-significant positive correlation between EIDM knowledge and skills and EIDM behaviours (r = 0.29, P 0.069 and r = 0.24, P 0.136, respectively). Over time there was a shift in preferences for timing and frequency of online continuing education strategies. Willingness to participate in continuing education, however, remained evident., Conclusions: An intensive educational workshop shows promise for increasing EIDM knowledge and skills. Increasing EIDM knowledge and skills may promote the capacity of health professionals to use research evidence when making practice and policy decisions and, in turn, lead to positive patient outcomes.

Background: Core competencies for public health in Canada require proficiency in evidence informed decision making (EIDM). However, decision makers often lack access to information, many workers lack knowledge and skills to conduct systematic literature reviews, and public health settings typically lack infrastructure to support EIDM activities. This research was conducted to explore and describe critical factors and dynamics in the early implementation of one public health unit's strategic initiative to develop capacity to make EIDM standard practice., Methods: This qualitative case study was conducted in one public health unit in Ontario, Canada between 2008 and 2010. In-depth information was gathered from two sets of semi-structured interviews and focus groups (n = 27) with 70 members of the health unit, and through a review of 137 documents. Thematic analysis was used to code the key informant and document data., Results: The critical factors and dynamics for building EIDM capacity at an organizational level included: clear vision and strong leadership, workforce and skills development, ability to access research (library services), fiscal investments, acquisition and development of technological resources, a knowledge management strategy, effective communication, a receptive organizational culture, and a focus on change management., Conclusion: With leadership, planning, commitment and substantial investments, a public health department has made significant progress, within the first two years of a 10-year initiative, towards achieving its goal of becoming an evidence informed decision making organization.