MIND THE GAP: TRANSLATING EVIDENCE-BASED GUIDELINES INTO PRACTICE

Background: Engaging in evidence-based practice is a proficiency expected of occupational therapists (Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), 2013). Guidelines developed following a robust systematic approach can... [ view full abstract ]

Background:
Engaging in evidence-based practice is a proficiency expected of occupational therapists (Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), 2013). Guidelines developed following a robust systematic approach can facilitate the translation of evidence into practice. The aim of this project was to determine the awareness, perceived value and application of an occupational therapy practice guideline and its associated implementation resources.

Method:
The evaluation focused on the guideline Occupational therapy in the prevention and management of falls in adults (College of Occupational Therapists (COT), 2015) and consisted of two phases: an online survey and a discussion session at a networking event. Ethics approval was obtained from COT (RG 2015/32).

Results:
The majority of the survey respondents (n=222) were occupational therapists. Familiarity with the guideline varied but over 80% of respondents perceived it as having significant/some value. Approximately 28% of respondents were unaware of the implementation resources available, such as the audit tool. Respondents expressed ‘intentions’ of using the guideline, but comparatively few were considering its potential in informing business planning or service commissioning.

Occupational therapists attending the networking event (n=44) highlighted a number of service construction/delivery issues that challenged recommendation implementation.

Conclusion:
Evidence-based guidelines have the potential to inform an occupational therapist’s practice, but support is required to ‘close the gap’ between a published guideline and service provision.

Application to Practice:
Ongoing work is required if the potential of evidence-based recommendations is to be used to maximum effect to benefit service users, and to influence the commissioning of occupational therapy services.