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Research article
Evidence-Based Practice in Primary Health Care From The Managerial Point of View: – A National Survey
Tobias Abelsson
Goteborgs Universitet
Corresponding Author
ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8467-0738
License:
This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License. Read Full License
Background: The vast availability of and demand for evidence in modern primary health care forces clinical decisions to be made based on condensed evidence in the form of policies and guidelines. Primary health care managers play a key role in implementing these governing documents. Thus, the aim of this article was to investigate the use and availability of evidence-based practice resources from the perspective of first-line primary health care managers.
Methods: The study utilized a quantitative method based on a national survey of primary health care managers. The study population was recruited nationally from Sweden and consisted of 186 respondents. The data were analysed using empirically constructed themes and validated using factor analysis. To determine the statistical significance in making comparisons, the chi-square test was utilized. Associations between variables were calculated using Spearman’s correlation. All tests were two-sided, and the significance level was set to 0.05.
Results: A majority (97%) of managers stated there was an impact of guidelines and policy documents on primary health care; 84% of managers could see a direct influence in daily practices. Most of the managers (70%) stated that some adaptation had to be made when new evidence was introduced. The managers emphasised the importance of keeping themselves updated and open to new information about work routines (96%).
Conclusions: Evidence-based practice has a fundamental impact on Swedish primary health care. The study illustrated a nearly unanimous response about evidence influencing daily practice. The emphasis on the importance of all staff members keeping their professional knowledge up to date can be seen as a direct result of this. An information-dense organization such as a primary health care organization would have much to gain from cooperation with regional information resources such as clinical libraries.
Trial registration: Not applicable.
Keywords
Diffusion of innovation, Evidence-based practice, Evidence-based medicine, Healthcare management, Information dissemination, Information-seeking behaviour, Knowledge management, Primary health care
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CURRENT STATUS: Under Revision
Version 1
Posted 23 Sep, 2020
No community comments so far
Review #2 received
Received 06 Dec, 2020
Editorial decision: Major revision
On 06 Dec, 2020
Review #1 received
Received 22 Nov, 2020
Reviewer #2 agreed
On 03 Nov, 2020
Reviewer #1 agreed
On 13 Oct, 2020
Reviewers invited
Invitations sent on 25 Sep, 2020
Editor assigned
On 20 Sep, 2020
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On 19 Sep, 2020
Editor invited
On 19 Sep, 2020
First submitted
On 24 Aug, 2020
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This preprint is under consideration at BMC Health Services Research. A preprint is a preliminary version of a manuscript that has not completed peer review at a journal. Research Square does not conduct peer review prior to posting preprints. The posting of a preprint on this server should not be interpreted as an endorsement of its validity or suitability for dissemination as established information or for guiding clinical practice.
Learn more about In Review
Research article
Evidence-Based Practice in Primary Health Care From The Managerial Point of View: – A National Survey
Tobias Abelsson
Goteborgs Universitet
Corresponding Author
ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8467-0738
Badges
Prescreen
This manuscript passed our Prescreen assessment
Complete author information
Appropriate declaration statements
Potential risks to human health
Prescreen
Peer Review Timeline
CURRENT STATUS: Under Revision
Version 1
Posted 23 Sep, 2020
No community comments so far
Review #2 received
Received 06 Dec, 2020
Editorial decision: Major revision
On 06 Dec, 2020
Review #1 received
Received 22 Nov, 2020
Reviewer #2 agreed
On 03 Nov, 2020
Reviewer #1 agreed
On 13 Oct, 2020
Reviewers invited
Invitations sent on 25 Sep, 2020
Editor assigned
On 20 Sep, 2020
Submission checks complete
On 19 Sep, 2020
Editor invited
On 19 Sep, 2020
First submitted
On 24 Aug, 2020
Metrics
Comments: 0
PDF Downloads: ...
HTML Views: ...
License:
This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License. Read Full License
Background: The vast availability of and demand for evidence in modern primary health care forces clinical decisions to be made based on condensed evidence in the form of policies and guidelines. Primary health care managers play a key role in implementing these governing documents. Thus, the aim of this article was to investigate the use and availability of evidence-based practice resources from the perspective of first-line primary health care managers.
Methods: The study utilized a quantitative method based on a national survey of primary health care managers. The study population was recruited nationally from Sweden and consisted of 186 respondents. The data were analysed using empirically constructed themes and validated using factor analysis. To determine the statistical significance in making comparisons, the chi-square test was utilized. Associations between variables were calculated using Spearman’s correlation. All tests were two-sided, and the significance level was set to 0.05.
Results: A majority (97%) of managers stated there was an impact of guidelines and policy documents on primary health care; 84% of managers could see a direct influence in daily practices. Most of the managers (70%) stated that some adaptation had to be made when new evidence was introduced. The managers emphasised the importance of keeping themselves updated and open to new information about work routines (96%).
Conclusions: Evidence-based practice has a fundamental impact on Swedish primary health care. The study illustrated a nearly unanimous response about evidence influencing daily practice. The emphasis on the importance of all staff members keeping their professional knowledge up to date can be seen as a direct result of this. An information-dense organization such as a primary health care organization would have much to gain from cooperation with regional information resources such as clinical libraries.
Trial registration: Not applicable.
Figure 1
Figure 2