A national cross-sectional survey of the attitudes, skills and use of evidence-based practice amongst Canadian osteopaths

Background Health care professions face increasing pressure to integrate research evidence into practice to improve patient outcomes. For many professions, the uptake of evidence-based practice (EBP) remains poorly understood, including for osteopaths in Canada. The primary aim of this study was to determine the perceptions, training, self perceived skills, use, barriers, and facilitators of EBP amongst Canadian osteopaths. Methods Canadian Osteopaths were invited to participate in an online survey using the Evidence-Based Practice Attitude and Utilisation Survey. Results Four hundred and eight osteopaths’ (response rate 13.4%) provided informed consent of which three hundred and forty answered all questions. The majority of respondents had a favourable perception and believed EBP was important (70.8%). Most respondents (>65%) rated their skills in performing EBP at a medium-high level. EBP use was infrequent among respondents. Barriers to the utilisation of EBP were lack of clinical evidence, time, and relevance to osteopathic practice. Facilitators of EBP use included having greater access to research articles and tools, and further information regarding critical analysis of research. Although searching and consulting research information was rarely performed by respondents, they were perceived as the most important aspect of clinical decision making along with clinical practice guidelines, personal and patient preferences. Conclusion Canadian osteopathic manual practitioners were largely supportive of EBP but there was limited commitment to its integration within clinical practice. Improving knowledge and skills of EBP, addressing the barriers of EBP uptake, and integrating EBP into educational programs may improve the uptake of EBP within osteopathic practice.