Determinants of evidence-based practice among health care professionals in Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION: Evidence-based practice (EBP) is the art of using up-to-date information for clinical decision-making. Healthcare professionals at all levels are expected to use the latest research evidence for quality care. In Ethiopia inclusive and nationally representative summarized evidence regarding the level of EBP among health professionals is scarce. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the pooled prevalence of EBP utilization and its determinants among Ethiopian health professionals. METHOD: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted using PRISMA guidelines. Comprehensive literature was searched in PubMed, Google Scholar, and African Online Journal databases. A weighted inverse variance random effect model was used to estimate pooled prevalence. Cochrane Q-test and I(2) statistics were computed to assess heterogeneity among studies. Funnel plot and Eggers test were done to assess publication bias. Factors associated with EBP were identified using STATA v. 14. RESULT: Overall, 846 articles were retrieved and finally 23 articles were included in this review. The pooled prevalence of good EBP among health professionals was 52.60% (95%CI; 48.15%-57.05%). Knowledge about EBP (AOR = 2.38, 95% CI: (2.08–2.72)), attitude (AOR = 2.09, 95% CI: (1.67–2.60)), educational status (AOR = 3.12, 95% CI: (2.18–4.47)), work experience (AOR = 2.59, 95% CI: (1.48–4.22)), EBP training (AOR = 2.26, 95% CI: (1.87–2.74)), presence of standard guideline (AOR = 1.94, 95% CI: (1.51–2.50)), internet access (AOR = 1.80, 95% CI: (1.47–2.20)), presence of enough time (AOR = 2.01, 95% CI: (1.56–2.60)) and marital status (AOR = 1.73, 95% CI: (1.32–2.28)) were determinants of EBP. CONCLUSION: Around half of health professionals in Ethiopia have good EBP utilization which was low. Knowledge, attitude, educational status, work experience, EBP training, presence of standard guidelines, internet access, presence of enough time, and single marital status were positively associated with EBP. Therefore future interventions should focus on increasing their knowledge and changing their attitude through providing training and addressing organizational barriers like availing standard guidelines, accessing the internet, and minimizing professionals’ workload that enables them to critically appraise and integrate the latest evidence for clinical decision-making to improve the quality of care.