Abstract
Translating medical evidence into practice is difficult. Key challenges in applying evidence-based
medicine are information overload and that evidence needs to be used in context by healthcare professionals.
Nudging (i.e. softly steering) healthcare professionals towards utilizing evidence-based medicine may be a feasible
possibility. This systematic scoping review is the first overview of nudging healthcare professionals in
relation to evidence-based medicine. We have investigated a) the distribution of studies on nudging healthcare
professionals, b) the nudges tested and behaviors targeted, c) the methodological quality of studies and d)
whether the success of nudges is related to context. In terms of distribution, we found a large but scattered
field: 100 articles in over 60 different journals, including various types of nudges targeting different behaviors
such as hand hygiene or prescribing drugs. Some nudges – especially reminders to deal with information overload
– are often applied, while others - such as providing social reference points – are seldom used. The methodological
quality is moderate. Success appears to vary in terms of three contextual characteristics: the task,
organizational, and occupational contexts. Based on this review, we propose future research directions, particularly
related to methods (preregistered research designs to reduce publication bias), nudges (using lessoften
applied nudges on less studied outcomes), and context (moving beyond one-size-fits-all approaches).
medicine are information overload and that evidence needs to be used in context by healthcare professionals.
Nudging (i.e. softly steering) healthcare professionals towards utilizing evidence-based medicine may be a feasible
possibility. This systematic scoping review is the first overview of nudging healthcare professionals in
relation to evidence-based medicine. We have investigated a) the distribution of studies on nudging healthcare
professionals, b) the nudges tested and behaviors targeted, c) the methodological quality of studies and d)
whether the success of nudges is related to context. In terms of distribution, we found a large but scattered
field: 100 articles in over 60 different journals, including various types of nudges targeting different behaviors
such as hand hygiene or prescribing drugs. Some nudges – especially reminders to deal with information overload
– are often applied, while others - such as providing social reference points – are seldom used. The methodological
quality is moderate. Success appears to vary in terms of three contextual characteristics: the task,
organizational, and occupational contexts. Based on this review, we propose future research directions, particularly
related to methods (preregistered research designs to reduce publication bias), nudges (using lessoften
applied nudges on less studied outcomes), and context (moving beyond one-size-fits-all approaches).
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1-20 |
| Number of pages | 20 |
| Journal | Journal of Behavioral Public Administration |
| Volume | 2 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2 Oct 2019 |
Bibliographical note
Copyright: © 2019. The authors license this article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.Research programs
- ESSB PA