Evidence based practice in population health: a regional survey to inform workforce development and organisational change

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Abstract
Study objective: To assess current capacity to implement evidence based practice (EBP) in population health. Design: Postal survey of a regional population health workforce in Sydney, Australia. Setting: Division of Population Health, South Western Sydney Area Health Service. Participants: 104 population health staff (response rate: 73%). Main results: In the sample of regional population health practitioners, views about the current promotion of EBP were positive. Non-medical respondents with less that Masters degree were more likely to report “high self assessed need” to increase their capacity in EBP (p = 0.022). Confidence in understanding of EBP terminology was not associated with seniority but with highest level of education reached (pConclusions: The findings provide a quantitative baseline for capacity building through workplace programmes. Managerial commitment has been increased and performance development is now underway.