What’s Evidence-Based Practice?

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Evidence-based practice is the use of empirically supported diagnostic methods and treatments in health care. To ensure the best diagnosis and treatment for the patient, they must be proven effective by systematic research. Treatments or inventions that are not supported by rigorous research are considered potentially harmful and are not implemented in health care. Evidence-based practice is implemented in areas such as medicine, nursing, social work and mental health. Professional healthcare organizations and health insurance providers are encouraging a move from intuitive decision making to evidence-based treatment.

In the past, diagnostic methods and interventions relied primarily on tradition and on the experience and intuition of health professionals who may or may not have been correct in their assumptions. With the development of the scientific method, practitioners began to see the value in having the ability to demonstrate the effectiveness of a particular diagnostic method or treatment. Not only would professionals be able to provide the best options for their patients, but they could also focus their efforts on improving useful interventions. An evidence-based practice sifts through the wide variety of diagnostic methods and treatments available to identify which ones are successful and ignore which ones are risky. This type of practice also encourages practitioners to stay abreast of the latest research, which advances the development of better treatments.

Establishing evidence-based practices relies on gathering research-based evidence and interpreting data before implementing diagnostic methods, treatments, or interventions. Data collection may include research articles and other evidence-based sources, such as textbooks and expert practitioners. Data interpretation requires a critical evaluation of the information gathered.

The strongest evidence includes systematic reviews and randomized clinical trials in which subjects of an experiment are randomly assigned to experimental groups. Evidence often cannot be clearly categorized into evidence-based or non-evidence-based groups. Instead, they will often fall along a continuum between the two categories. A critical evaluation of research studies, therefore, depends on determining the strongest study based on the quality of the research.

Armed with the most effective evidence-based treatment, the practitioner must still make an individualized decision choosing the best option from the evidence to meet a specific patient’s needs, taking into account the client’s medical history, culture, and family values. After implementing empirically supported treatment, an evidence-based practice requires a follow-up evaluation of the diagnosis or treatment efficacy. This information can help professionals improve care in the future.

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