Evaluation of the impact of evidence-based health care education for Chinese medicine practitioners

ID: 

137

Session: 

Poster session 1

Date: 

Sunday 16 September 2018 - 12:30 to 14:00

All authors in correct order:

Wong CHL1, Chung VCH2, Wu IXY2, Ho RST3, Cheung WKW3, Wu JCY4
1 Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China
2 Cochrane Hong Kong, Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China
3 Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China
4 Hong Kong Institute of Integrative Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China
Presenting author and contact person

Presenting author:

Charlene HL Wong

Contact person:

Charlene HL Wong
Abstract text
Background:
The World Health Organization (WHO) Traditional Medicine Strategy aims to develop complementary medicine with an evidence-based health care (EBHC) approach. Chinese medicine is the main form of complementary medicine in China but EBHC training for practitioners is minimal. To increase the access of Hong Kong Chinese medicine practitioners (CMPs) to EBHC knowledge and information, we provided a tailor-made EBHC workshop for them, presented using mixed interactive and didactic formats.

Objectives:
To evaluate the effectiveness of EBHC education among Hong Kong CMPs.

Methods:
We used two validated instruments to assess the effectiveness of EBHC education among CMPs before and after the workshop. We used the Evidence based Practice Inventory (EPI) to assess the change in barriers and facilitators to practising EBHC. We used the Evidence based Practice Questionnaire (EPQ) to evaluate the change in self-efficacy towards EBHC. We used paired t-tests to compare the scores before and after the workshop. We performed multiple linear regression to explore the association between change in scores and CMPs' characteristics.

Results:
Among the CMPs who completed the workshop (n = 59), there were significant improvements in attitude, perceived behavioural control, decision-making, and intention and behaviour domains based on the EPI. We also observed significant improvements in attitude and knowledge domains of evidence-based practice on the EPQ. From multiple linear regression analysis, CMPs who did not receive EBHC training previously showed a larger magnitude of improvement in attitude, decision-making, and intention and behaviour domains based on the EPI after the workshop.

Conclusions:
The findings of this study show the effectiveness of tailored-made EBHC education in enhancing knowledge and attitudes towards evidence-based practice among Hong Kong CMPs. CMPs who were exposed to EBHC for the first time in this workshop improved to a larger extent in attitude, decision-making, and intention and behaviour domains.

Patient or healthcare consumer involvement:
To further improve CMPs' subjective norms and application of evidence-based practice, training alone is not enough. Previous literature has proposed that patient-oriented interventions and monitoring of CMPs might be further explored.

Relevance to patients and consumers: 

In evidence based healthcare (EBHC), best research evidence, clinical expertise and patient values are equally important. However, the use of research evidence for informing clinical practice may not be compatible with the tradition of syndrome differentiation in Chinese medicine, and there is an increasing number of patients who want to play an active role in clinical decision-making. As Chinese medicine practitioners (CMPs) may incorporate EBHC in their routine practice, EBHC education was provided for Hong Kong CMPs in this study and its impact on CMPs’ knowledge, attitudes and practice of EBHC were evaluated.