FEATURE ARTICLE Perceptions of Evidence-Based Practice: A Survey Of Australian Occupational Therapists Sally Bennett 1 , Leigh Tooth 2 , Kryss McKenna 1 , Sylvia Rodger 1 , Jenny Strong 1 , Jenny Ziviani 1 , Sharon Mickan 1 and Libby Gibson 1 Department of Occupational Therapy 1 and School of Population Health 2 , The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia Key words: clinical decision-making, research, clinical reasoning. This is an electronic version of an article published in the Australian Occupational Therapy Journal: Bennett, S., Tooth, L., McKenna, K., Rodger, S., Strong, J., Ziviani, J., et al. (2003).Perceptions of evidence-based practice: a survey of Australian occupational therapists. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 50, 13-22. It is published in the print edition of the Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, and is available on the Blackwell Synergy online delivery service, accessible via the journal's website at http://www.blackwell- synergy.com.ezproxy.library.uq.edu.au/doi/full/10 .1046/j.1440-1630.2003.00341.x or www.blackwell-synergy.com Address for correspondence: Dr Sally Bennett Department of Occupational Therapy School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences The University of Queensland Queensland, 4072, Australia Telephone: 61 7 3365 2652 Fax: 61 7 3365 1622 Email: sally.bennett@uq.edu.au Accepted for Publication: December 2001 Evidence-based practice (EBP) requires clinicians to access, appraise and integrate research literature with clinical experience and clients' perspectives. Currently, little is known about occupational therapists’ attitudes to EBP, their perception of implementation barriers or their educational needs. Method: A questionnaire seeking information about these issues was sent to a proportional random sample (by State or Territory) of 1491 members of the national professional occupational therapy association, OT Australia. Results: The questionnaire was completed by 649 (44%) participants. Occupational therapists were positive about EBP with most (96%) agreeing that EBP is important to occupational therapy. While 56% used research to make clinical decisions, almost all relied on clinical experience (96%), and the large majority used information from continuing education (82%) and colleagues (80%). Lack of time, evidence and skills were identified as the main barriers to the implementation of EBP. Over half (52%) expressed strong interest in EBP skills training, and most (80%) indicated an interest in the availability of brief summaries of evidence. Conclusion: Targeted educational initiatives, resources, and systems are needed to support EBP in occupational therapy.