The evidence-based practice among social work students

Abstract

The aim of this study was to describe the knowledge, attitudes and use of the Evidence-based Practice process by the fourth year undergraduate social work students of the University of West Attica, in Greece and to explore the possible relationships between them. The study design was quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional survey. A total of 98 students participated in the study, through an anonymous, self-reported questionnaire. Ethical approval was obtained from the Ethics Committee of the University Institute of Lisbon. Data were analyzed using descriptive and correlation statistics. The results indicated that the students had a good level of knowledge of the EBP, although resistance to depart from the authority-based practice was detected. Moreover, the participants reported moderately positive attitudes towards the EBP, recognizing its value and being available to learn more about it. However, most of them did not declare themselves as practitioners of the EBP. The most common barriers to the implementation of the EBP were revealed to be the lack of knowledge and the limited access to the best available evidence. Although students believe that the future will be in the EBP, this is hardly reflected in the current university training and organizational culture. Furthermore, it was found that the students with higher levels of knowledge and more positive attitudes towards the EBP are more likely to use it in the future. The choice of conducting a Dissertation was related with higher levels of EBP use, but no statistically significant relation was found with the knowledge and the attitudes. Finally, the legal status and the domain of the internship Organizations were not found to significantly affect the knowledge, attitudes and use of the EBP by the students. The present study was the first one to uncover knowledge concerning the concept of EBP in the Greek context. Further studies about the EBP are recommended, in order to promote the effective use of research evidence in the social work training and practice in the country.