Needs assessment and expectations regarding evidence-based practice knowledge acquisition and training activities: A cross-sectional study of healthcare personnel in China

OBJECTIVES: Evidence-based healthcare contributes to the improvement of healthcare quality and informs healthcare decision-making. The provision of timely high-quality evidence is always required to fulfil the ever-changing needs and expectations of healthcare personnel. This study aimed to assess the needs and expectations of healthcare personnel regarding evidence-based healthcare in China. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional online survey from December 8, 2020 to January 15, 2021 involving 901 participants across China. Healthcare providers, policy makers, researchers and educators, and full-time postgraduate medical and nursing students working/living in China were eligible to participate. A self-developed questionnaire was used. RESULTS: Participants generally agreed that health-related research evidence was beneficial. Evidence-based resources, such as Cochrane resources, were only known or used by about half of the respondents due to difficulties related to availability and accessibility. Various types of resources, topics of evidence, and themes of workshops were of particular interest to most of the participants. CONCLUSIONS: The dissemination and translation of evidence, provision of more support in evidence availability, offering evidence-based training, and determining the most in-demand research areas have been identified as priority areas of work which could fulfil the needs and expectations of healthcare personnel in China.