Evidence-based physical therapy: level of knowledge of students from private high education institutions in Salvador - BA

Abstract

Introduction: The Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) is defined as the use of the best and latest cutting-edge research. This last edition aimed to promote health improvement, but also university education, in order to prepare future professionals for the challenges of health care. Objective: To investigate the level of knowledge of students of undergraduate courses in Physiotherapy from three private institutions of Salvador-BA on the EBP. Materials and Methods: Cross-sectional study, whose focus population was 198 undergraduate students of the Physiotherapy course from three institutions of the proven teaching network. A questionnaire composed of 12 objective questions was applied with the intention of evaluating the level of knowledge of the concepts that involve the EBP. Results: Of the 198 students enrolled, 155 (78.4%) participated in the study. The majority of academics (97.9%) reported having little or no knowledge about EBP. In addition, it was found that academics in their vast majority did not know a substantial number of electronic databases, did not have the ability to develop adequately search strategies in databases or on how to select and evaluate scientific articles. Conclusion: The analysis and interpretation of the data revealed that the academics of the institutions evaluated had limited knowledge concerning the concepts of EBP.