Table 2.
Items with mean, standard deviation for baseline and follow-up and p values. Categorization of items into subscales based on exploratory factor analysis with parenthesized loading criteria. For subscales 1 and 2, a higher score indicates a more positive result. The opposite is the case for subscale 3
| Loading criteria | 2011 | 2014 | P-value | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean | SD | Mean | SD | |||
| Subscale 1 Organizational competence, attitude and managerial support for evidence-based practice (ten questions) | ||||||
| The OHS-unit where I’m employed encourages me to participate in research and development projectsc | 0.736 | 3.0 | 1.3 | 2.7 | 1.3 | <0.001 |
| The OHS-unit where I’m employed encourages me to participate in continuing educationc | 0.730 | 3.4 | 1.4 | 3.3 | 1.3 | 0.001 |
| The OHS-unit where I’m employed encourages the purchases of professional literature in my field, such as textbooksc | 0.725 | 3.7 | 1.3 | 3.3 | 1.3 | <0.001 |
| The management of the OHS where I’m employed encourages me to work according to EBPc | 0.716 | 3.7 | 1.2 | 3.3 | 1.3 | <0.001 |
| At the OHS-unit where I’m employed we discuss methods and tools such as questionnaires, guidelines and regulations, risk assessment protocolsc | 0.678 | 3.9 | 1.1 | 3.6 | 1.1 | <0.001 |
| At the OHS-unit where I’m employed we discuss the best evidence base, for example we discuss the scientific literatureb | 0.561 | 3.4 | 1.2 | 3.3 | 1.1 | NS |
| At the OHS-unit where I’m employed, there is sufficient expertise to work according to EBPc | 0.538 | 4.0 | 0.9 | 3.5 | 1.0 | <0.001 |
| At the OHS-unit where I’m employed I am able to search and download research articles in my field from the Internetc | 0.498 | 4.1 | 1.2 | 3.5 | 1.3 | <0.001 |
| I have the support of my colleagues to work according to EBPa | 0.438 | 4.2 | 1.0 | 4.1 | 1.0 | NS |
| I am able to acquire new knowledge by participating in research and development projectsb | 0.404 | 2.4 | 1.3 | 2.4 | 1.2 | NS |
| Subscale 2 Implementation and development of evidence-based practice (five questions) | ||||||
| Working according to EBP will become more important for occupational health services in the futurea | 0.632 | 4.6 | 0.9 | 4.4 | 0.8 | <0.001 |
| It is important for our corporate clients that the OHS-unit where I’m employed works in an evidence-based wayc | 0.570 | 4.1 | 1.0 | 3.9 | 1.0 | <0.001 |
| I need further training in how to work according to EBP in my professional field in the OHSb | 0.495 | 4.3 | 0.9 | 4.1 | 0.9 | <0.001 |
| EBP is an integral part of my worka | 0.409 | 4.2 | 0.9 | 4.1 | 0.9 | NS |
| I regularly search the Internet for occupational health informationb | 0.402 | 4.0 | 1.1 | 3.9 | 1.0 | NS |
| Subscale 3 Lack of knowledge and skills regarding evidence-based practice (four questions) | ||||||
| I don’t have/I lack sufficient knowledge to critically examine and interpret evidence-based informationa | 0.731 | 2.7 | 1.2 | 2.6 | 1.1 | NS |
| I don’t have/I lack sufficient knowledge and skills to use and implement evidence-based informationa | 0.704 | 2.7 | 1.2 | 2.5 | 1.1 | NS |
| I need training in how to formulate questions for the effective retrieval of information from the Internetb | 0.582 | 3.1 | 1.3 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 0.002 |
| The reliability of the information I find in my professional field is lowb | 0.474 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 2.4 | 0.9 | <0.001 |
| Single items with loading criterion <0.4 | ||||||
| The use of EBP during consultations represents an extra workloada | 0.201 | 2.9 | 1.3 | 2.7 | 1.0 | 0.002 |
| The field of knowledge of my expert field is too wide to justify working according to EBPa | −0.264 | 2.8 | 1.3 | 2.8 | 1.0 | NS |
| I ask colleagues for advice, for example about decision-makingb | 0.223 | 4.1 | 1.0 | 3.9 | 1.0 | <0.001 |
| I regularly search for information within my professional field in textbooks, journals, etc.b | 0.378 | 3.9 | 1.0 | 3.8 | 1.0 | NS |
| I do not expect to find satisfactory answers to my occupational health questions, for example in the scientific literatureb | 0.393 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0.001 |
| Lack of time is a barrier to my looking for occupational health informationb | −0.309 | 2.9 | 1.2 | 3.0 | 1.1 | NS |
aThe OHS practitioner’s interest in working according to EBP, and their need of and opportunities to do so
bHow the OHS practitioner obtains new knowledge from their vocational field
cOrganizational factors influencing opportunities to work according to EBP