Principles of Research and Evidence-Based Practice

Principles of Research and Evidence-Based Practice
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Principles and Concepts of Evidence-Based Practice (EBP)
EBP is the application of research to professional practice. It is a process of self-directed learning that assists clinicians in strategizing and selecting the best care method for the patients to ensure high-quality care delivery by integrating theoretical knowledge with the clinical practice. It recognizes that medical practices are inadvertently changing, and practitioners need to adapt to these changes constantly. Without updating their knowledge about medicine basics and complex concepts, the practices become obsolete (Akobeng, 2005).
The Evidence
Evidence is a fact proven scientifically with supporting data. It supports or refutes hypotheses, and it can be generated through a systematic approach. Data can be gathered from actual individual or institutional practices, research facilities, experiences, and observations. The experts validate the information in the field to make sure that these are applicable in real-life situations (Barends et al., 2014).
Significance
EBP promotes the critical thinking skills of the clinicians and allows them to analyze the patient comprehensively, the past and current practices, and the possible outcomes. It requires open-mindedness to search for solutions that may be different from the conventional means and choose the most appropriate diagnostic tools and clinical interventions for the patient. Overall, it leads to the best prognosis (Akobeng, 2005).
Steps
The five-step model of EBP includes formulating questions based on the existing problem or gap in knowledge, finding the data, reviewing and validating the evidence, applying the information gathered, and evaluating and feedback. Step one entails the use of a theoretical framework, where the question consists of the following elements: patient (P), intervention (I), comparison (C), and outcome (O). It must be clear, concise, and contain all the elements as long as these are applicable. This will guide the clinician in finding the appropriate literature. Step two refers to data gathering, where the clinician will use ac...