Evidence-Based Practice
What is Evidence-Based Practice?
Evidence-based medicine (EBM) or Evidence-based practice (EBP) is the intentional use of:
- Research evidence found in health sciences literature
- Clinical expertise and opinion
- Patient preferences and values
Evidence-based practice requires the practitioner to assess research, clinical guidelines, and other information resources; integrate these with patient preferences and values; and create a plan for the best patient care.
All medical evidence is not created equal! The highest levels of evidence are found at the top of the pyramid. Always use the best available evidence to help inform clinical practice.
Source: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~biomed/resources.htmld/guides/ebm_resources.shtml
UpToDate
UpToDate is a clinical decision support resource that synthesizes recent medical information into trusted, evidence-based recommendations to improve patient care and quality.
You can find UpToDate in the MyUMass Global portal on the School of Nursing page (located under Departments and Schools).
Additional Resources
Below are links to websites that contain tools for finding evidence-based research and other materials.
- Centre for Evidence Based Medicine - Oxford UniversityResources developed by Oxford to promote evidence-based health care
- Epistemonikos This link opens in a new window
A multilingual database providing primary studies and systematic reviews relevant to healthcare decision making.
Publication range: 1970s-present
- Evidence-based Practice GuideGuide from the University of Washington Health Sciences Library.
- National Guideline ClearinghouseA public resource for evidence-based clinical practice guidelines.
- PEDro (Physiotherapy Evidence Database)Free database of over 32,000 randomised trials, systematic reviews and clinical practice guidelines in physiotherapy.
- TripA clinical search engine to quickly and easily find and use high-quality research evidence to support medical practice and/or patient care.