Evidence-based practice conversations with clinical supervisors during paramedic placements: an exploratory study of students' perceptions.

Objective Paramedic education providers teach the latest evidence-based practice when students attend academic classes. Clinical placements are an important aspect of paramedic training, however, they can pose a potential area of conflict regarding approaches to practice, in particular when it comes to evidence-based practice knowledge and decision-making processes. To better understand the continuum between academic classes and clinical placement, this study explored students understanding of evidence-based practice conversations, determined the prevalence of these whilst on clinical placement, and considered whether students believe their future participation in evidence-based practice conversations could be improved. Methods An exploratory cross-sectional self-administered electronic questionnaire was conducted with paramedic students from an Australian university. The questionnaire was validity checked prior to implementation. Results One hundred and sixty-eight 2nd and 3rd year paramedic students completed the questionnaire (response rate = 66%). Although most students (82%) understood what constitutes an evidence-based practice conversation, only 23% reported learning about evidence-based practice conversations, and 18% reported practicing evidence-based practice conversations during their clinical placements. Regression analysis found that the gender of the supervisor and age of the student significantly affected the likelihood of learning about or practicing evidence-based practice conversations (p=0.029, p = 0.049 respectively) whilst on clinical placement. Students did not feel that evidence-based practice questioning would have possible negative repercussions, however most (83%) felt they needed to improve their evidence-based practice communication skills. Conclusions Paramedic students and clinical supervisors rarely engage in evidence-based practice conversations during clinical placement. Further research into evidence-based practice communication in the clinical placement setting is required to ensure a consistent approach to the training of future paramedics.