Motivators and barriers to engagement with evidence-based practice among medical and dental trainees from the UK and Republic of Ireland: a national survey

Objectives To explore the extent to which doctors and dentists in training within the UK and Republic of Ireland (RoI) engage in and with evidence-based practice (EBP), and to identify motivators and barriers to them doing so.Design An observational, prepiloted web-based survey developed by a traine...

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Main Authors: Bosun Hong, Eoin Daniel O'Sullivan, Christin Henein, Christopher Mark Jones
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2019-10-01
Series:BMJ Open
Online Access:https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/10/e031809.full
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author Bosun Hong
Eoin Daniel O'Sullivan
Christin Henein
Christopher Mark Jones
author_facet Bosun Hong
Eoin Daniel O'Sullivan
Christin Henein
Christopher Mark Jones
author_sort Bosun Hong
collection DOAJ
description Objectives To explore the extent to which doctors and dentists in training within the UK and Republic of Ireland (RoI) engage in and with evidence-based practice (EBP), and to identify motivators and barriers to them doing so.Design An observational, prepiloted web-based survey developed by a trainee-led focus group.Setting The survey instrument was disseminated to doctors and dentists in training within the UK and RoI during June 2017 via social media and through deaneries, Royal Colleges and specialty-specific mailing lists.Participants Data from 243 trainees were analysed; 188 doctors from 31 specialties and 55 dentists from 9 specialties. Responses were received from trainees at all stages of postgraduate training though the overall response rate was low.Primary and secondary outcome measures The motivators and barriers to, and the extent of, trainee engagement with EBP.Results Cronbach’s α was 0.83. Most trainees (87.6% (n=148) of doctors and 75.1% (n=39) of dentists) consulted the evidence base at least monthly, while 23.1% [n=39 doctors, 12 dentists] of both specialties did so daily. The two most commonly cited barriers to engagement with EBP for both doctors and dentists, respectively, were insufficient time (57.6% (n=95) and 45.1% (n=23)) and a tendency to follow departmental practice (40.6% (n=67) and 45.1% (n=23)). Key motivators for EBP included curiosity, following the example set by senior colleagues and a desire to avoid harm. Most trainees reported high levels of confidence interpreting evidence yet for 26.8% (n=45) of doctors and 36.5% (n=19) of dentists, medical hierarchy would impede them querying a colleague’s management plan based on their own reading of the evidence.Conclusions Time, accepted departmental practice and the behaviour of senior clinicians all highly impact on trainee engagement with EBP. Given the low response rate, the extent to which these data represent the overall population is unclear.
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spelling doaj-art-eb20302ec42b44679c734e4f2317d3752024-12-13T21:20:08ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552019-10-0191010.1136/bmjopen-2019-031809Motivators and barriers to engagement with evidence-based practice among medical and dental trainees from the UK and Republic of Ireland: a national surveyBosun Hong0Eoin Daniel O'Sullivan1Christin Henein2Christopher Mark Jones31 Birmingham Dental Hospital, Birmingham, UK2 Cochrane UK & Ireland Trainees Advisory Group, Oxford, United Kingdom1 University College London Institute of Ophthalmology, London, UKLeeds Cancer Centre, St James’s University Hospital, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, West Yorkshire, UKObjectives To explore the extent to which doctors and dentists in training within the UK and Republic of Ireland (RoI) engage in and with evidence-based practice (EBP), and to identify motivators and barriers to them doing so.Design An observational, prepiloted web-based survey developed by a trainee-led focus group.Setting The survey instrument was disseminated to doctors and dentists in training within the UK and RoI during June 2017 via social media and through deaneries, Royal Colleges and specialty-specific mailing lists.Participants Data from 243 trainees were analysed; 188 doctors from 31 specialties and 55 dentists from 9 specialties. Responses were received from trainees at all stages of postgraduate training though the overall response rate was low.Primary and secondary outcome measures The motivators and barriers to, and the extent of, trainee engagement with EBP.Results Cronbach’s α was 0.83. Most trainees (87.6% (n=148) of doctors and 75.1% (n=39) of dentists) consulted the evidence base at least monthly, while 23.1% [n=39 doctors, 12 dentists] of both specialties did so daily. The two most commonly cited barriers to engagement with EBP for both doctors and dentists, respectively, were insufficient time (57.6% (n=95) and 45.1% (n=23)) and a tendency to follow departmental practice (40.6% (n=67) and 45.1% (n=23)). Key motivators for EBP included curiosity, following the example set by senior colleagues and a desire to avoid harm. Most trainees reported high levels of confidence interpreting evidence yet for 26.8% (n=45) of doctors and 36.5% (n=19) of dentists, medical hierarchy would impede them querying a colleague’s management plan based on their own reading of the evidence.Conclusions Time, accepted departmental practice and the behaviour of senior clinicians all highly impact on trainee engagement with EBP. Given the low response rate, the extent to which these data represent the overall population is unclear.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/10/e031809.full
spellingShingle Bosun Hong
Eoin Daniel O'Sullivan
Christin Henein
Christopher Mark Jones
Motivators and barriers to engagement with evidence-based practice among medical and dental trainees from the UK and Republic of Ireland: a national survey
BMJ Open
title Motivators and barriers to engagement with evidence-based practice among medical and dental trainees from the UK and Republic of Ireland: a national survey
title_full Motivators and barriers to engagement with evidence-based practice among medical and dental trainees from the UK and Republic of Ireland: a national survey
title_fullStr Motivators and barriers to engagement with evidence-based practice among medical and dental trainees from the UK and Republic of Ireland: a national survey
title_full_unstemmed Motivators and barriers to engagement with evidence-based practice among medical and dental trainees from the UK and Republic of Ireland: a national survey
title_short Motivators and barriers to engagement with evidence-based practice among medical and dental trainees from the UK and Republic of Ireland: a national survey
title_sort motivators and barriers to engagement with evidence based practice among medical and dental trainees from the uk and republic of ireland a national survey
url https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/10/e031809.full
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