BACKGROUND
Evidence-based practice (EBP) is regarded as part of the healthcare education curriculum. EBP teaching methods should be multifaceted, interactive, clinically integrated, and include assessment. A mobile app, the EBPsteps, was developed for students to learn and document their EBP skills.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to assess occupational therapy students' EBP skills as reported in the EBPsteps mobile app.
METHODS
A cross-sectional design was applied. Descriptive statistics were used to present frequencies, percentages, mean and range. Associations between formulating PICO/PICo elements and identifying research evidence were analysed with the chi-square test.
RESULTS
Of four cohorts with 150 students, 119 (79%) students chose to use the app and produced 240 Critically Appraised Topics (CATs). When assessing the students' EBP skills, the EBP steps reflection, searching, and critical appraisal were the steps that the students most often demonstrated an ability to perform correctly. Furthermore, a positive association was found between formulating the Population- and Interventions/Interest-elements of the PICO/PICo and identifying research evidence. Applying the evidence and evaluating practice change were the least frequently correctly reported steps.
CONCLUSIONS
The steps that proved most difficult to the students have implications and give directions for further development of the EBPsteps app and educational instruction in EBP. EBPsteps is a new and relevant app for students to learn and practice EBP and can be used for assessing the students' EBP skills objectively.