Yacca Library NWHHS: Tackling Evidence Based Practice

Add in some comments below about what EBP means to you. If other responses are present take note of what others think 'evidence based practice' means to them. Do you notice any similarities or differences to your views?

Take a look at the table below.

 It’s important to remember that there are many benefits to EBP for all stakeholders across the hospital service and that your contribution to EBP has an impact on these different areas of the health service for the better.

“Evidence based medicine is the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients” ...

"it requires a bottom up approach that integrates the best external evidence with individual clinical expertise and patients’ choice”

(Sackett, Rosenberg, Gray, Haynes & Richardson, 1996, pp. 71-72)

We can think of EBP as a stool. It's helpful because it demonstrates that if you take one of the legs away the whole stool comes crashing down.

For example, if you only use your own knowledge, but don’t draw on any new evidence then your stool doesn’t function properly. Or, you may draw on the best clinical evidence from the literature, but if it severely clashes with patient values and preferences then the stool also won't work!

There are many models for implementing evidence based practice, they generally have similar principles as described in this one below.

You will complete all of these steps, however in this session we’re going to get you started and on track to completing the first three steps: Ask, Acquire and Appraise.