What clinical psychologists know about evidence-based practice: familiarity with online resources and research methods.

Evidence-based practice (EBP) requires that practitioners routinely access, appraise, and utilize the best available research. We surveyed a representative sample of the Society of Clinical Psychology; 549 psychologists (response rate = 46%) reported their frequency of engaging in EBP when offering psychological services, rated their current knowledge of 12 online research resources, and evaluated their current knowledge of 12 research methods and designs. These psychologists reported, on average, using EBP in 73.1% of their psychological services. With the exception of PsycINFO and MEDLINE, clinical psychologists related low to moderate knowledge of online research resources. By contrast, these psychologists reported considerable knowledge of most research methods and designs, except for odds ratios and structural equation modeling. Psychologists' theoretical orientation, clinical experience, and employment setting predicted knowledge of both online resources and research designs. We discuss the educational and practice ramifications of these results.