How do we change practice when we have the evidence?
Translating research findings into practice includes myriad pragmatic realities, including understanding the suitability of the data to a particular patient group, writing new guidelines for occupational therapy practitioners, facilitating adoption of the guidelines, and instituting new patterns of care for patients. The process is more than a matter of disseminating the information to practitioners and expecting immediate change in patient treatment. Indeed, the field of implementation science is devoted to the identification of the numerous barriers and supports that constrain or expedite practice change in response to research. Moving forward and adopting evidence-based findings will require a focused understanding of the particular setting where change is warranted. Among the issues to address are the health system levels involved in change (professional, legislative, administrative, practitioner, and patient and family members), the values and beliefs of the participants, and knowledge of the communication channels that exist in the setting and how information and new ideas make their way through the setting.
Department of Occupational Therapy, Jefferson School of Health Professions, Thomas Jefferson University, 901 Walnut Street, 6th Floor Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA. Janice.burke@jefferson.edu
Janice Posatery
JP
Burke
Laura N
LN
Gitlin
D003142:Communication; D004059:Diffusion of Innovation; D055317:Evidence-Based Practice; D006801:Humans; D009788:Occupational Therapy / Q000639:trends*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D057170:Translational Research, Biomedical