Research Article
Evidence-Based Practice in Radiography: Attitudes, Beliefs, Knowledge and Practices of Radiographers in Ghana
| Kyei KA*, Antwi WK and Suapim JB | |
| Department of Radiography, School of Allied Health Sciences, University of Ghana, P. O. Box, KB 143, Korle-Bu, Accra, Ghana | |
| Corresponding Author : | Kofi Adesi Kyei Lecturer, Department of Radiography School of Biomedical &Allied Health Sciences P.O. Box KB 143, Korle-BuAccra-Ghana Tel: +233207007124 E-mail: adesco41@hotmail.com |
| Received November 26, 2014; Accepted January 02, 2015; Published January 05, 2015 | |
| Citation: Kyei KA, Antwi WK, Suapim JB (2015) Evidence-Based Practice in Radiography: Attitudes, Beliefs, Knowledge and Practices of Radiographers in Ghana. OMICS J Radiol 4:176. doi: 10.4172/2167-7964.1000176 | |
| Copyright: © 2015 Kyei KA et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. | |
Abstract
Background: Evidence-based practice (EBP) has been identified as a standard in healthcare and the principles and practice of EBP are widely promoted and increasingly accepted by various professional bodies. Radiographers are therefore aware of the need to change attitudes and develop skills necessary for the integration of EBP into clinical practice.
Aim: The main purpose of this study was to describe the attitudes, beliefs, knowledge and practices of radiographers with regard to evidence-based practice in Ghana.
Methods: Nationwide survey done resulted in a response rate of 92.1% representing 199 participants. Participants completed a questionnaire designed to determine attitudes, beliefs, knowledge and practices, of their profession. Descriptive statistics was used to show the responses in tabular and graphical formats.
Results: Most respondents (56.6 %) disagreed that strong evidence was lacking to support their practice. Only 39% of the respondents agreed that they had knowledge of medical search engines e.g. MEDLINE, Cochraine etc. 43% of the respondents reported using professional literature in clinical decision-making five or fewer times per month. The primary barrier to implementing EBP was lack of time.
Conclusion: Radiographers showed positive attitudes and beliefs towards EBP. However, lack of resources, knowledge gap and skills was a challenge for its incorporation into practice. There is therefore the need for training of radiographers in Ghana into EBP.
