Cultural Adaptation and Psychometric Properties of the Persian Version of the Evidence-Based Practice Attitudes Scale in Audiologists

Abstract

Background and Aim: Evidence-based practice improves the quality of clinical performance. Attitude affects the implementation of research findings into practice. The Evidence-Based Practice Attitude Scale (EBPAS-36) evaluates the attitude of therapists toward evidence-based practice. The present study aimed to provide a validated Persian translation of the EBPAS-36 for audiologists. Methods: The original EBPAS-36 was translated by using the international quality of life assessment protocol. The validity of translated version was surveyed by an expert panel and the Persian version with 35 questions was yielded. A demographic questionnaire and EBPAS  P-35 were given to 182 audiologists to evaluate the psychometric properties.   The reliability was evaluated by completing the EBPAS  P-35 after 2 weeks by 30 of      the participants and Cronbach’s alpha and Intra-Class Correlation (ICC) were calculated. Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFA) were also conducted. Results: The content validity ratio was above 0.33 for all except item 10 which was removed from the Persian version. The mean(SD) total score was 2.38(0.46). A significant relationship was observed between the total score and all subscales (p<0.05). The original factor structure showed an acceptable model fit (CMIN/DF=1.39, GFI=0.84, CFI=0.94, IFI=0.94, RMSEA=0.04) confirming the 12-factor structure of the EBPAS-36. The internal consistency was very good for the total score (α=0.88) and adequate to very    good for the subscales (0.65–0.84), indicating high reliability. The ICC showed good agreement in the score of test-retest (total ICC=0.65). Conclusion: This study confirms good psychometric properties and validity of the EBPAS P-35 in a sample of audiologists. Keywords: Evidence-based practice; research-based intervention; clinical implementation; attitude; audiologist