LibGuides: NSG607: Evidence-Based Practice: Evidence-Based Practice

Evidence-Based Practice

Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) is the judicious use of the best research evidence (found in health sciences literature), clinical expertise (what the health provider knows), and patient values (what the patient wants and believes) to create a plan of action regarding patient care.

Recommended Links & Lists for EBP Research

Practice Guidelines
Free Resources Online

National Guideline Clearinghouse
NGC supports AHRQ's mission to produce evidence to make health care safer, higher quality, more accessible, equitable, and affordable by providing objective, detailed information on clinical practice guidelines, and to further their dissemination, implementation, and use in order to inform health care decisions.
Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ)
Public health department that invests in research and evidence to make health care safer and improve quality.

Health Services/Technology Assessment Texts (HSTAT)
free resource of full-text documents that provide health information and support health care decision making.
National Institutes of Health (NIH) - Bookshelf
Bookshelf provides free online access to books and documents in life science and healthcare. Search, read, and discover. Includes systematic reviews and MeSH.
TRIP (Turning Research Into Practice)
A medical database providing access to clinical research evidence. Limited access to content.

Conducting Research

The EBP Process can be summarized in 6 steps:

Ask focused questions
Find the best evidence
Evaluate the evidence
Integrate evidence, expertise, patient preferences & values
Evaluate and improve the above steps
Disseminate the results & put into practice!

Adapted from: Melnyk, B. M., Fineout-Overholt, E., Stillwell, S. B., & Williamson, K. M. (2010). Evidence-based practice: step by step: the seven steps of evidence-based practice. Am J Nurs, 110(1), 51-53. doi: 10.1097/01.NAJ.0000366056.06605.d2