Delivering better value healthcare starts with the evidence: training physiotherapists in South Western Sydney Local Health District to use high-quality clinical research to inform practice

Utilisation of evidence-based practice is important in delivering the most effective physiotherapy intervention to improve patient outcomes. Clinicians often find the implementation of evidence-based practice challenging due to a lack of time and skills or collegial attitudes to changing practice. Ability in evidence-based practice improves with training, however, published training programs rarely address all five steps involved in evidence-based practice (i.e., asking, acquiring, appraising, applying and assessing). The disproportionate focus on critical appraisal of research programs is likely to limit the impact of training. Also, not well defined in the research literature is how well physiotherapists implement the five steps in evidence-based practice. Thus, the aims of this research project are to: (1) quantify physiotherapist’s knowledge and skills in evidence-based practice; (2) quantify the barriers to the application of research evidence in the clinical setting; and, (3) pilot test a tailored, multifaceted and integrated evidence-based practice training program for physiotherapists working in hospitals within the South Western Sydney Local Health District.