What is Evidence Based Practice?
EBP is the integration of clinical expertise, patient values and the best research evidence into the decision making process for patient care. The practice of EBP is usually triggered by patient encounter which generate questions about the effects of therapy, the utility of diagnostic tests, the prognosis of diseases, and/or etiology of disorders.
5 steps to the EBP Process:
- ASSESS the patient - Start with the patient, a clinical problem or question arises from the care of the patient.
- ASK the question - Construct a well built clinical question derived from the case.
- ACQUIRE the evidence - Select the appropriate resources and conduct a search.
- APPRAISE the evidence - Appraise the evidence for validity (closeness to the truth) and applicability (usefulness in clinical practice).
- APPLY talk to the patient - Integrate that evidence with clinical expertise, patient preferences and apply it to practice.
