Abstract
Purpose: The study purpose was to explore attitudes and identify perceived barriers regarding the practice of evidence-based management (EBMgt) by healthcare managers. Method: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted using a simple random sample. The study population included middle- and lower-level healthcare managers at a specialized hospital in Saudi Arabia. A total of 165 healthcare managers were invited to complete a hard copy-survey. Results: The surveys were completed by 120 respondents, yielding a response rate of 72%. The study results showed that most of the participants had a favourable attitude towards the practice of EBMgt. However, a lack of training programmes, a lack of time, limited understanding of scientific research, and a lack of organizational support and culture for implementing the EBMgt approach were perceived as major barriers to the practice of EBMgt by the respondents. Conclusions: The findings of this study provide policymakers and healthcare leaders with baseline information about barriers affecting the adoption of EBMgt among healthcare managers. Further research to explore effective strategies that might increase the use of evidence-based approaches and reduce barriers to the adoption of EBMgt is recommended.