Evidence-Based Basics

Making decisions about patient care is difficult. Timely access to the current relevant literature is crucial to the practice of evidence-based decision making. Health care providers who are inundated with new scientific findings need better, more efficient ways to stay on top of the latest advances in clinical science so they can provide the most effective and appropriate care. Internet technology will play an increasingly important role in evidence-based care as the Internet becomes the main means by which scientific information is disseminated.1

Evidence Based Basics contains research findings relevant to allied health to assist providers in keeping current and to help bridge the gap between knowledge and practice. Information on how to find relevant evidence, evaluate its validity and apply the findings to practice will be provided. Also, links to evidence-based websites throughout the world are provided for you to explore. 

  What is Evidence Based Practice?

An evidence-based approach has emerged as a national priority in health care in response to the need to improve the quality, effectiveness, and appropriateness of treatment protocols and to demonstrate the best use of limited resources.2,3 The use of current best evidence does not replace clinical skills, judgment, or experience, but provides another dimension to the decision-making process that also must consider clinical circumstances and patient preferences.4,5 Current best evidence is important because evidence keeps changing as new research is conducted. The type of evidence that should be integrated into practice will come from sound studies related to questions about the cause, diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and prognosis of disease as well as questions about the quality and economics of care.5

What is Evidence-Based Decision-Making?

Scientific evidence is considered when it is appropriate and in the context of an individual patient's circumstances. It is an aid to the clinical decision-making process that can improve opportunities for achieving successful outcomes. This decision making process is referred to as Evidence-based Decision-Making (EBDM). It is not unique to medicine or any specific health discipline, but it represents a concise way of referring to the application of evidence to the clinical decision-making process.

References

  1. Hersh W (1996, July-August). Evidence-based medicine and the Internet. ACP Online.
  2. Eisenberg J (1997, October 28). Testimony on Health Care Quality Before the House Subcommittee on Health and the Environment. Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, Rockville, MD
  3. IOM (1995). Dental Education at the Crossroads, Challenges and Change. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
  4. Haynes RB (1993). Some problems in applying evidence in clinical practice. Ann NY Acad Sci, 703:210-224.
  5. Sackett DL, Richardson WS, Rosenberg W, Haynes RB (1997). Evidence-based medicine: How to practice and teach EBM. New York: Churchill Livingston.
  6. Forrest JL, Horowitz AM, Shmueley Y (1998) . Dental hygienists' caries prevention knowledge and practices. J Dent Res, 77:123.
  7. Forrest JL, Horowitz AM, Shmueley Y (1997). Dental hygienists' knowledge and practices related to oral cancer prevention and early detection. J Dent Res, 77:826.