Evidence-based radiography : a new methodology or the systematisation of an old practice?

Introduction: Evidence based radiography (EBR) is the logical development ofevidence based practice applied to radiography. The aim of this study was toinvestigate the opinion of a cohort of Portuguese radiographers in Southern Portugalworking in public hospitals regarding evidence based practice (EBP), namely about thelevels of knowledge about EBR, how they access information and how they use itwithin daily practice. Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was applied to a sample of 40radiographers in the Portuguese region of Algarve. This questionnaire was validated forPortuguese speakers using the translation-retranslation method. Results: The final response rate was 69% (40/58). Results suggest that mostradiographers trained EBR during their undergraduate training. Although, nostatistically significant correlations were found in the practice of EBR against participantgender, age, training, career level, reading papers and workplace. The most frequentreason to read papers is the “interest” to do so, and national professional journals areread more often. It was found that radiographers that read scientific papers morefrequently know more about research (p=0.005), understand the importance ofresearch for the professional activity (p=0.023), and know more on how to conductresearch papers (p=0.034). Conclusion: EBR within radiography is not yet well established, and radiographers’have varying viewpoints. Radiographers that read scientific papers more frequentlyunderstand better the philosophy behind this concept but it is very important to deepenthe knowledge on this area. Implications for Practice: When practicing radiography based on the best availablescientific knowledge, professionals are ensuring the best for patients and forprofession. To achieve this, and before taking any action, it is important to evaluate thecurrent situation, and this research presents a way to do so