Barriers facing physicians practicing evidence-based medicine in Saudi Arabia.
BACKGROUND
Tremendous advances in health care have been made through the development of evidence-based medicine (EBM). Studies show that physicians face barriers in practice, preventing the effective use of the best evidence available. Insight into these barriers should pave the way for an action plan to remove them. The aim of this study was to explore the major barriers to the practice of EBM by physicians in primary health care centers (PHCCs) and hospitals.


METHODS
This cross-sectional study was conducted on physicians in PHCCs and Ministry of Health hospitals in the Dammam area (Dammam, Alkhobar, and Alqatief) of Saudi Arabia. A sample size of 409 physicians was chosen. Barriers to the practice of EBM and the reasons for not giving patients effective health care were investigated through questionnaires.


RESULTS
The response rate was 66. 7%. The main barriers to practicing EBM stated by physicians were the lack of training in EBM (72.9%), facilities (34.4%), and time (29.2%). The least mentioned barriers were the lack of relevant evidence and the negative impact on medical skills (10.4% each).


CONCLUSIONS
Rather than skepticism about the concept, the main barriers to the use of EBM by physicians appeared to be a lack of knowledge and basic skills. Therefore, targeted education in EBM and a system that quickly delivers high-quality evidence are needed. This includes the allocation of an adequate infrastructure and time and the availability of relevant evidence.
Al-Almaie
Sameeh M
SM
Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Fahd University Hospital, Alkhobar, Saudi Arabia.
Al-Baghli
Nadira
N
D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005260:Female; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010821:Physicians, Family / Q000193:education*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D012529:Saudi Arabia