Table 3. Barriers to practice EBM.
| Barrier | Residents (n = 10) | ENT surgeons (n = 58) | P = | All respondents (n = 68) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| As a result of inexperience with one (or more) of the EBM steps, I do not succeed at using EBM in practice | 2 (1) | 2 (1) | 0.821 | 2 (1) |
| As a result of a lack in education in using EBM, I am unsure of what using EBM practically means | 2 (0) | 2 (2) | 0.743 | 2 (2) |
| During outpatient clinic consultations, I have sufficient time to work according to the principles of EBM | 2 (1) | 2.5 (2) | 0.047 | 2 (2) |
| When I search for evidence I do not know when to be pleased with the answer found | 2 (1) | 2 (2) | 0.378 | 2 (2) |
| I appreciate it when colleagues present me with new evidence | 4 (0) | 4 (1) | 0.094 | 4 (1) |
| I am not interested in searching for the best evidence | 2 (1) | 2 (1) | 0.498 | 2 (1) |
| To answer a clinical question I prefer a quick method over a precise method | 3.5 (2) | 3 (2) | 0.693 | 3 (2) |
| Searching for clinical evidence is hard for me | 2 (2) | 3 (2) | 0.401 | 3 (2) |
| I don’t search for clinical evidence because I trust the national ENT guidelines | 3 (1) | 3 (2) | 0.767 | 3 (2) |
| When busy, searching for clinical evidence is not a priority to me | 3 (2) | 4 (1) | 0.249 | 4 (2) |
| My skills in searching for evidence in databases (i.e. Pubmed) are sufficient | 4 (2) | 4 (1) | 0.741 | 4 (1) |
| The critical appraisal of literature is not hard for me | 3.5 (2) | 3 (1) | 0.497 | 3 (1) |
| When I have a clinical question, I take the initiative to search for an evidence-based answer | 4 (1) | 4 (1) | 0.569 | 4 (1) |
| My colleagues (otorhinolaryngologists) stimulate me in practicing EBM | 3 (1) | 3 (1) | 0.882 | 3 (1) |
| I find the articles written in English difficult | 1 (1) | 1 (1) | 0.984 | 1 (1) |
| I am not motivated in working according to the principles of EBM | 1.5 (1) | 2 (1) | 0.251 | 2 (1) |
| The time I have per patient is insufficient to also search for answers to my questions (according to the principles of EBM) | 4 (2) | 4 (1) | 0.903 | 4 (1) |
| My residents and interns motivate me to work according to the principles of EBM* | 4 (2) | 4 (2) | 0.929 | 4 (2) |
Scores are presented as median (IQR) IQR = Interquartile range. Items were assessed on a 5 point Likert scale (1: totally disagree, 5: totally agree.)
N = 68. Bold numbers indicate statistical significance (p < 0.05)
* a sixth option was added: not applicable