SUPPORTING THERAPISTS' ENGAGEMENT IN EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE THROUGH AN INTER-PROFESSIONAL POST-QUALIFICATION MASTER'S PROGRAMME

Since the 1990s, engaging in Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) is viewed as an essential element of what is defined as best practice. Knowledge Translation (KT) and Research Utilisation (RU) studies have identified common barriers, mediators and facilitators to improving the uptake and use of evidence by practicing clinicians. The more traditional, passive methods of disseminating information through large-group educational sessions are generally ineffective in changing practitioner behaviour; whereas approaches that are both interpersonal and grounded in practice have had greater success (Grimshaw et al, 2004). To meet the challenge of educating practitioners to routinely utilise research findings for clinical decision-making, the School of Clinical Therapies, University College Cork, began offering a reconfigured small group seminar programme for occupational therapists, physiotherapists and speech and language therapists in the autumn of 2009. Implementing Evidence in Therapy Practice is one of the first core modules taken by therapists for an MSc in Evidence-Based Therapy Practice. Students develop their skills in integrating current research evidence with their existing clinical expertise and their clients' values. Students also learn to identity key individuals/ groups within their workplace who need to collaborate together as a system for effective implementation of an EBP culture. Skills and knowledge gained from this module enable students to engage further in the KT/ RU process through modules focused on professional reasoning and on developing educational approaches for themselves, their clients and their communities. Finally, students complete a research thesis that usually addresses a current work concern. Thereby, they not only build on their new knowledge, but transform it into evidence to help meet today's practice demands. A pedagogic research project, supported by a NAIRTL grant, is being conducted to evaluate whether students' learning has an effect on their subsequent clinical behaviour, specifically engagement in EBP, four months after completion of the first module.