Do Knowledge Infrastructure Facilities Support Evidence-Based Practice in Occupational Health?
Author Information
Author(s): Hugenholtz Nathalie IR, Nieuwenhuijsen Karen, Sluiter Judith K, van Dijk Frank JH
Primary Institution: Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam
Hypothesis
Which contemporaneous evidence-based information do occupational physicians access to guide their evidence-based practice, and what are the enablers and barriers to them practising EBM?
Conclusion
Occupational physicians use many knowledge infrastructure facilities and rate them as important for their evidence-based medicine practice, but they face significant barriers and do not frequently use evidence-based sources.
Supporting Evidence
- More than 72% of occupational physicians use research and development institutes.
- Over 80% use knowledge products and tools, rating them as important for EBM practice.
- Conventional libraries are used often but rated as less important compared to newer facilities.
Takeaway
Doctors who help workers stay healthy use many tools to find the best information, but they often struggle to use the best sources because of time and money issues.
Methodology
A cross-sectional study using an electronic questionnaire to assess the use and importance of knowledge infrastructure facilities among occupational physicians.
Potential Biases
Selection bias may exist as participants were recruited from educational institutes, potentially skewing the demographics towards younger, less experienced physicians.
Limitations
The response rate was low (40%), and the sample may not represent all occupational physicians as participants were selected from those attending EBM courses.
Participant Demographics
Participants included 36 occupational physicians from ten countries, with a majority under 40 years old and a near-equal gender distribution.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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