Assessment of knowledge, attitudes, practices, and barriers to evidence-based practice (EBP) among healthcare providers at Port Said: an exploratory sequential mixed method study

TL;DR

This study explores healthcare providers' knowledge, attitudes, and barriers to evidence-based practice in Port Said, identifying key factors and suggesting improvements.

Contribution

The study introduces a mixed-methods exploratory sequential design to assess EBP in the Arab region, highlighting local barriers and actionable solutions.

Findings

Healthcare providers in Port Said show good knowledge and positive attitudes toward EBP.

Lack of time and financial support are major barriers to implementing EBP.

Workplace and training are significant predictors of EBP practices.

Abstract

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is the integration of best research evidence, clinical expertise, and patient values in healthcare decision-making. Although EBP is regarded as the gold standard in healthcare systems, influencing policy, education, and practice, the Arab region continues to face significant barriers to the extensive implementation of EBP.

This was a cross-sectional study in which a mixed-methods approach with an exploratory sequential design was used. A validated questionnaire was developed in the first qualitative phase on the basis of the inductive thematic analysis results. Then, it was used in the quantitative phase. Significance was determined at the 95% confidence level.

The qualitative phase included 37 healthcare providers of all specialties from four hospitals in Port Said city. Ten themes with 35 sub-themes were generated that discussed different aspects of knowledge, attitudes, practices, and barriers to EBP. The quantitative phase included 443 healthcare providers from five hospitals in Port Said City. The majority of the participants revealed good levels of knowledge, positive attitudes, and practices toward EBP. Age, profession, training, and workplace were the determinants of knowledge. Knowledge was the only predictor of attitudes. Workplace, research skills, training, knowledge, and attitudes were predictors of practice. The most common barriers included lack of time, insufficient financial support, and workload.

Despite good levels of knowledge, attitudes and practices, a considerable percentage of the participants had poor knowledge and practices. The study indicates the need for hospitals to include evidence-based protocols and supervise their implementation, and to establish a research department that provides healthcare providers with the needed facilities to conduct research. Additionally, increasing financial support for healthcare systems to improve facilities and providers is as appreciation and encouragement for the application, and more attention should be given to establishing Egyptian guidelines for all specialties. Also establishing EBP center that provide the training services, support research, guide the physician to apply EBP, and ensure the application of EBP will be impactful.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12909-025-08398-8.

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