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Knowledge, attitudes and behaviours toward evidence-based practice among healthcare professionals in Kuwait: a cross-sectional study

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Objectives To assess and compare evidence-based practice (EBP) knowledge, attitudes and behaviours among physicians, occupational therapists, physical therapists and nurses in Kuwait and to identify modifiable correlates of EBP implementation. Design Cross-sectional survey. Setting Six governmental hospitals, one in each of Kuwait’s six governorates; data were collected from May to September 2025. Participants 365 licensed clinicians with at least 1 year of clinical experience (occupational therapists n=81; physical therapists n=108; nurses n=94; physicians n=82), recruited through hospital department heads. Primary and secondary outcome measures The primary outcomes were the five domains of the Evidence-Based Practice Profile Questionnaire (EBP2) (relevance, sympathy, terminology, practice and confidence), standardised to 0–100. Secondary outcomes were differences by profession, English fluency, EBP training and gender (Welch’s tests) and independent predictors of domain scores (multivariable linear regression). Results Standardised mean scores were highest for relevance (93.9; 95% CI 93.2 to 94.6) and lowest for practice (46.4; 95% CI 43.9 to 48.6). Professions differed significantly on all five domains (p≤0.004), with the largest effect for practice (η² = 0.194). Physicians and occupational therapists outperformed physical therapists and nurses, particularly on terminology, confidence and practice. After adjustment, English fluency independently predicted higher terminology, confidence and practice scores; prior EBP training predicted higher sympathy but lower practice scores; and longer duration of practice predicted lower relevance scores. Sensitivity analyses supported these findings. Conclusions EBP utilisation in Kuwait was low to moderate, with the largest gaps in actual practice; even physicians did not reach the high-performance threshold on most domains. English fluency was the most consistent modifiable correlate of EBP knowledge, confidence and behaviour, whereas prior EBP training was linked to higher sympathy but not to more frequent EBP behaviours. Institution-wide implementation strategies, clinically integrated EBP training and multilingual evidence resources are needed.

Source: BMJ Open

DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2026-123672

Authors: Musaed Z Alnaser, Hamad Habeeb Alhamad, Mohammad Alshehab, Najla Alsiri

Institution: Kuwait University

Language: English

Topic: Health Sciences Research and Education

Subfield: General Health Professions

Field: Health Professions

Domain: Health Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Quality education

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,839