Exercise therapy innovations in outpatient mental health care: First insights into the role of exercise therapists’ attitude towards evidence-based practice for real-world implementation settings

For successful implementation of healthcare interventions, attitudes of healthcare professionals are a key factor. Research in the field of psychological treatment suggests that attitude towards evidence-based practice (EBP) may play a crucial role. However, little research has been conducted on the extent to which this applies to the field of exercise therapy, where there is a strong need for development regarding the dissemination of EBP. A recent pragmatic multisite randomized controlled trial (ImPuls) can serve as an innovative example for the implementation of an evidence-based exercise intervention including behavior change techniques within the outpatient mental health care system in Germany. The aim of the current study was to explore the role of exercise therapists’ attitude towards EBP for an implementation process by identifying relationships with other factors of importance for implementing innovations (e.g., motivation or self-efficacy). Exercise therapists (n = 26) completed online surveys pre- (week 0) and postintervention (week 24+). Correlation analyses and linear regressions were performed considering a total score for attitude towards EBP as well as mean scores for its subdimensions. The total score was rather positive (mean = 2.58, standard deviation = 0.43) and significantly related to program-specific motivation (r = 0.64, p < 0.001), self-efficacy (r = 0.42, p < 0.034), and acceptance (r = 0.56, p < 0.003) at baseline. Exercise therapists’ education and further training should therefore have an increased focus on EBP, including the usage of scientific findings, the integration into routine practice and the scopes and obligations that come along with it.