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Evidence Based Practice

This tutorial was developed by staff at Duke University Medical Center Library and the Health Sciences Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It is used with permission by Saint Louis University Medical Center Library.

EBP Overview

What is Evidence-Based Practice (EBP)? 

Evidence based medicine is the conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients. The practice of evidence based medicine means integrating individual clinical expertise with the best available external clinical evidence from systematic research (Sackett D, "Evidence Based Medicine: What it is and what it isn't". BMJ. 1996;314;71. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.312.7023.71

The 5 Steps in the EBP Process:

 

ASSESS
the patient

1. Start with the patient -- a clinical problem or question arises from the care of the patient

ASK
the question

2. Construct a well built clinical question derived from the case 

ACQUIRE
the evidence

3. Select the appropriate resource(s) and conduct a search

APPRAISE
the evidence

4. Appraise that evidence for its validity (closeness to the truth) and applicability (usefulness in clinical practice)

APPLY:
talk with the patient

5. Return to the patient -- integrate that evidence with clinical expertise, patient preferences and apply it to practice

 

 

 

CC - UC Davis - used with permission