ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the epistemic responsibilities that accompany claims of evidence based practice (EBP). It outlines some of the implications of ethical competence for evidence based practice. Critical thinking is regarded as a fundamental requirement for nursing practice in the twenty-first century. The peer review process, for example, requires the discharge of the very epistemic responsibilities as have been outlined in this chapter precisely because the alternative is a cartel of self-proclaimed experts acting as gatekeepers to the dissemination of evidence. Similarly, evidence based practice might not be the panacea that some would have us believe but the genuine pursuit of the epistemic responsibilities that come with it provide the elements of ethical competence that can assist in the discharge of ethical nursing practice. The use of intellectual standards provides a platform for the formation, revision, and maintenance of both strongly and weakly held beliefs. Given these conditions, being open-minded and discharging one's epistemic responsibilities seems far from straightforward.
