Physiotherapists’ perceptions of challenges facing evidence-based practice and the importance of environmental empowerment in fall prevention in the municipality – a qualitative study

BACKGROUND: Falls in older adults are an increasingly important public-health concern. Despite abundant research, fall rates have not been reduced, because implementation of evidence-based fall-prevention measures has been slow and limited. This study aims to explore physiotherapists’ perceptions on external factors, such as public policy, organisation and leadership, regarding the relation between knowledge translation and the three elements of evidence-based practice (EBP) to effectively address barriers and facilitate the uptake of EBP in fall prevention. METHODS: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 18 physiotherapists (men = 7; women = 11) working with fall prevention in the primary healthcare system. The physiotherapists ranged in age from 27 to 60 years (median 36 years) and had worked as a physiotherapist from 1 to 36 years (median 7 years). Data are analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: The analysis revealed one main theme and four sub-themes. The main theme was ‘Environmental empowerment enhances physiotherapists’ capabilities for using EBP’. A resourceful work environment facilitates EBP, having access to information about research-based knowledge, supportive leadership, enough human resources and opportunities to learn and grow at work. The four sub-themes were as follows: 1) ‘Tension between attributes of research-based knowledge and organisational routines and practices’; 2) ‘Evidence must be informed by policymakers—What works?’; 3) ‘Empowering culture and work environment—A steppingstone to EBP’ and 4) ‘Organisation readiness for EBP, managerial and clinical relations’. Success in environmental empowerment depends on the leader’s role in creating preconditions at the workplace that may lead to important positive personal and organisational outcomes for EBP. Two-way communication and transfer-of-information are also key factors in the development of positive work engagement when using EBP. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study outline tension between policy, leadership, organisational facilitators and EBP. Leadership is influenced by policy with ripple effects for the organisation and clinicians. Organisational facilitators form structural empowerment, which is the foundation for creating an EBP environment. TRIAL REGISTRATION: 2018/2227/REC south-east C. Registered 19 December 2018, Norwegian Ethics Committee for Medical and Health Research Ethics. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12877-020-01846-8.