What is Evidence Based Practice?
Evidence Based Practice is a process of life-long, problem-based learning. EBP is a concept that applies to all of the health sciences.
The process involves:
- Converting information needs into focused questions.
- Efficiently tracking down the best evidence with which to answer the question.
- Critcally appraising the evidence for validity and clinical usefulness.
- Applying the results in clinical practice (Translating the evidence).
- Evaluating performance of the evidence in clinical application.
EBM/EBP
Sackett, et al. defined Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) as the integration of best research evidence with clinical expertise and patient values [Sackett DL, Straus SE, Richardson WS, Rosenberg W Haynes RB. "Evidence-based Medicine: How to Practice and Teach EBM". Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.]
Why is EBP Important?
There is now an overwhelming amount of new information generated annually, monthly, even weekly. Health professionals can not be expected to keep current by reading everything that is published.
Instead, EBP teaches professionals how to find the information that they need when they need it.
Steps in the Evidence Based Practice process:
EBP/EBM
For more information on EBP in general, please see the following guide: