Self-perceived evidence-based practice competencies: a survey of faculty and students at a chiropractic institution.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the self-perceived importance, skills, and utilization of evidence-based practice (EBP) among faculty and students at a chiropractic institution without a structured EBP program. The survey also evaluated EBP satisfaction among students and EBP implementation barriers/facilitators among the faculty. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, a set of organized questionnaires to assess the importance of EBP and self-perceived skills, utilization, barriers, and facilitators for faculty members, and student satisfaction was administered to the students and faculty of a chiropractic institution in February-March 2016. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate responses. RESULTS: A total of 417 (60.1%) students and 27 (60.0%) faculty members completed the survey. Faculty members' and students' EBP importance values were similar (8.4 and 8.3 out of 10, respectively), but faculty members self-reported their EBP skills (7.3/10) at a higher level than the student self-reported skill level (6.1/10). For utilization, students reported a higher utilization of EBP than that reported by the responding faculty members. Perceived student satisfaction on the quality and content of research-related experiences decreased from the first year to the third (final) year. CONCLUSION: This study found variance in the self-perceived EBP skills, utilization, barriers, and facilitators and that these skills are lagging at our doctor of chiropractic program, which does not have a structured EBP program. Faculty members and students identified the importance for EBP. Similar observations have been found at other chiropractic institutions prior to their implementation of a systematic EBP program. Those developing an EBP curriculum might use these findings to better design, implement, and assess a structured program.

Implementation of a course on wellness concepts into a chiropractic college curriculum.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to implement and evaluate a course on "wellness concepts" for chiropractic students, emphasizing national goals and evidence-based practices for health promotion and prevention. METHODS: Teaching methods included traditional lecture discussions and experiential activities, including objectives described in Healthy People 2010. Evaluation included pre- and posttests of students' familiarity with and intention to use key concepts, resources, and practices; item analysis of multiple choice exams; and a qualitative survey. RESULTS: Increases in students' self-reported familiarity were statistically significant for all but 2 of the 23 key topics assessed. At baseline, students already expressed intention to use most wellness-related practices listed, and showed significant increases for approximately half the practices listed at the posttest. Item analysis found students less able to correctly answer questions requiring analytic thinking than simple memorization. Students were most satisfied with the experiential portions of the course. CONCLUSION: Although the course was successful at introducing students to national resources and initiatives related to wellness, health promotion, and prevention, these concepts may be more meaningful if integrated into a teaching clinic that encouraged practical application of course concepts.