Experiences of evidence based practice training and implementation in selected universities and hospitals in Tanzania: A Qualitative Study

Evidence based practice (EBP) has continuously been considered vital in health research, teaching and patients’ care. The main objective of the paper was to describe benefits of EBP training and challenges of implementation in selected Universities and hospitals in Tanzania. We conducted three focus group discussions (FGDs) with 26 participants who had attended EBP training that included academic members of staff in universities, physicians, nurses and librarians. Data were analyzed using thematic content analysis. Participants reported that they benefitted from EBP training in terms of acquiring new knowledge as well as attainment of advanced professional skills. The training was also revealed to have been useful in areas of research, teaching and care of patients. Various challenges including; inadequate financial and material resources, technical and technological obstacles as well as negative attitude and disapproving mind-set were reported to hinder implementation of EBP. Overall, participants perceived EBP training to be a revelation in enhancing their use of information technology in teaching, research and care of patients. Besides, hospital and institutional administrations need to devise ways of mitigating challenges facing implementation of EBP