Table 3 Access, confidence and value of using evidence: comparing opinions of community of practice (CoP) and non-CoP groups
Participants giving positive responses to statements about evidence use (total responses in CoP/non-CoP groups) | CoP (%)0 | Non-CoP (%) |
|---|---|---|
Sources of evidence considered useful | ||
 Newsletters, bulletins and online alerts (n = 40/63) | 75.00 | 79.37 |
 Academic sources (n = 40/63)* | 90.08 | 87.77 |
 Routinely produced statistical data (n = 40/64) | 87.50 | 85.94 |
 Grey literature (e.g. publications from government and other organisations) (n = 40/63)* | 85.36 | 84.32 |
 Expert and personal opinion (n = 40/63)* | 82.93 | 84.38 |
Access to evidence and information | ||
 Good access to evidence (n = 41/66)* | 71.08 | 68.09 |
 Confident identifying, appraising and synthesising evidence (n = 42/67)* | 81.75 | 72.55 |
 Value and use evidence to inform decisions at work (n = 42/69)* | 88.10 | 87.68 |
People and groups considered useful | ||
 Academics (n = 43/68) | 93.02 | 91.18 |
 Analytical services (n = 37/66) | 59.46 | 71.21 |
 Policy makers (n = 41/68) | 60.98 | 67.65 |
 Public health directors, managers and consultants (n = 41/67)* | 75.81 | 82.09 |
 Other departmental managers (n = 34/64) | 47.06 | 57.81 |
 Community (n = 42/69) | 88.10 | 85.51 |
 Advocacy/lobby groups (n = 42/68) | 76.19 | 72.06 |