Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the knowledge, attitude, and barriers towards the implementation of EBP among physiotherapists in Malaysia.
Methods: A survey was conducted among the members of the Malaysian Physiotherapy Association and other practicing therapists in Malaysia. One hundred and two responses were collected throughout a span of 2 months.
Results: Respondents agreed that EBP is necessary to practice and that it helps in decision making as well as improving patient care. Eighty-one percent of the respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that they had received formal training in EBP. However, 61% of the respondents reported that strong evidence is lacking to support their interventions. Thirty percent of the respondents reported reading <2 articles per month, with 57% stating that they read two to five articles in a typical month. This study also found time constraints, limited access to search engines, and lack of generalizability of research evidence as the top three barriers to implementing EBP.
Conclusion: Physiotherapists in Malaysia had a positive attitude towards EBP and are inclined towards implementing evidence into their clinical practice. They are interested in attending courses to improve their knowledge and skills in EBP.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-six pregnant women attending the Antenatal Clinic, UMMC for their first antenatal check-up consented and were recruited for this study: 28 subjects with diseased periodontium (test group) and 28 subjects with healthy periodontium (control). The test group underwent nonsurgical periodontal therapy and the control group was given oral hygiene education. Periodontal parameters and CRP levels were evaluated at baseline and 6 weeks. Pregnancy outcome data were recorded from the Antenatal Clinic, UMMC.
RESULTS: Plasma CRP levels in the test group were statistically significantly elevated compared to the control group (8.55 ± 5.28 mg/l vs 5.66 ± 2.91 mg/l). After nonsurgical periodontal therapy, a statistically significant reduction in the CRP level in the test group (2.06 mg/l) along with statistically significant improvement in periodontal status in both groups was observed. The mean birth weight for infants of both groups showed no statistically significant difference.
CONCLUSIONS: Plasma CRP levels in pregnant women with diseased periodontium were statistically significantly reduced after nonsurgical periodontal therapy. However, no association between CRP levels and adverse pregnancy outcome was observed.