Why occupational therapy needs evidence based practice

In the past 20 years, evidence-based practice has been the new era of healthcare service. Although health services appear to differ greatly from one country to another, there are certain common factors that are beginning to influence the evolution of systems of health service organization and healthcare delivery in all countries irrespective of their geographical latitude. Evidence-based healthcare (EBHC) or evidence-based practice (EBP) is widely used in many healthcare professionals, including doctors, occupational and physical therapists and nurses. Clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness have been increasingly important. Clinical judgment and decision-making require the use of the ‘most current’ and ‘best’ evidence. Literature review, however, seems to suggest that occupational therapist have been criticized to be slow in integrating scientific evidence in their clinical practice. It is well known that evidence-based clinical judgment is a critical tool for occupational therapists to maintain their competency and credibility as a healthcare professional. This paper aims to outline and discuss the philosophy and steps of evidence-based clinical practice. The paper through literature review will also focus on the skills required to use in clinical judgment and decision-making. Furthermore, based on the review, recommendations will be made for occupational therapists to overcome barriers of evidence-based clinical practice.