ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a brief overview of Evidence-based healthcare (EBHC) and associated topics, as well as discussing some of the skills required to use it. The amount of skill and work required will depend on the situation. For example, a researcher carrying out an in-depth literature review will need to carry out comprehensive or exhaustive searching and analysis. On the other hand, a busy clinician searching for EBHC purposes would be advised to start by searching for existing ‘pre-appraised’ evidence such as systems, synopses, summaries, systematic reviews, etc. The randomised controlled trial has traditionally been regarded as the best quality study design to assess effectiveness, but other types can also be useful. The hierarchy of evidence lists study types and sources in order, based on the quality of evidence they are likely to provide. Meta-analysis improves on the quality of evidence, by statistically combining the results of several studies.
