Barriers to knowledge translation in Chinese doctors: a cross-sectional survey

Article type
Authors
Huang Y1, Li J1, Chen J1, Wang J1
1Chinese Cochrane Center, China
Abstract
Background: Knowledge translation is very important for evidence-based practice. Little is known about the factors influencing knowledge translation in China.

Objectives: To explore barriers that influence knowledge translation in China.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey using a questionnaire adopted from relevant studies abroad. The questionnaire included 7 domains and 42 items. The survey was conducted between August 2012 and March 2013 involving 650 doctors attending workshops of evidence-based practice. The doctors were required to fill the questionnaire anonymously before the workshops. Three reviewers independently input the data to Microsoft Excel 2003. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 17.0 software.

Results: The validity and reliability of the questionnaire was tested with Cronbach’s α 0.731. We distributed 650 questionnaires and collected 578 (response rate: 88.9%). Among the respondents, 43% think that current acquired knowledge cannot meet the clinical needs, 44.8% think that learning sources provided by their hospital are not sufficient. When they meet difficult clinical problems, 45.9% doctors prefer foreign database other than Chinese database to find information of interest. When they try to understand the efficacy and safety of an intervention, the most common problem is that 22.5% doctors cannot find relevant information after systematic search of all known databases. When they read the research reports, the most principal problem is that 48.3% doctors find it difficult to understand the results and conclusion. When they apply a new intervention to patients, 23% doctors think whether the insurance company can pay for the intervention or not is the biggest factor influencing their choice. There are significant difference among doctors with different age, education background, English level, title and level of hospitals.

Conclusions: Insufficient learning resources provided by their hospitals and doctor’s capability in dealing with knowledge hinder knowledge translation in clinical practice.