Creating an Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) learning and assessment guide for clinical supervisors

Topic: Creating an Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) learning and assessment guide for clinical supervisors. Why the topic/issue is of interest: We are a team of EBP pedagogy researchers interested in how allied health students can be best prepared to effectively engage in EBP in their future practice. We have found that many undergraduate health students report limited exposure to the principles and skills of EBP, particularly in relation to asking clinically relevant questions and communicating with clients and colleagues. Where EBP is explicitly addressed during their workplace learning experiences, students’ learning and assessment experiences tend to focus on piecemeal aspects of the EBP process. We have also found that supervisors themselves sometimes lack awareness of what their students learn about EBP in their university subjects – what it means, and how to fully engage in EBP. We are aiming to develop an EBP learning and assessment framework for use by academics, students, and clinical supervisors. We hope this will help to improve the quality of EBP learning for today’s students and lead to improved EBP confidence and engagement in the future allied health workforce. Presentation method: Oral presentation with large flash-cards. Significance to local allied health practice: This soapbox presentation will get the audience thinking about what EBP really means 'in practice' and how it can be best encouraged and facilitated in students on placement. We hope it will also stimulate some sharing of ideas on these questions too!