ABSTRACT
Evidence-based practice has been defined as the “conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence” (Kerridge, Lowe, & Henry, 1998) and is quickly emerging as one of the most important movements to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of clinical care. Initially applied to medicine (Cochrane, 1972; Sackett, Rosenberg, Muir Gray, Haynes, & Richardson, 1996; West, 2000), evidence-based practice is now influencing fields as diverse as nursing (Sackett et al., 1996), psychiatry (Drake et al., 2001), and social work (Gambrill, 2001). Evidence-based practice informs clinical efforts through a number of research approaches (Sackett et al., 1996; Rychetnik, Hawe, Waters, Barratt, & Frommer, 2004), such as evidence-based reviews, meta-analyses, expert opinion, and randomized controlled trials (Bartels et al., 2002). Proponents in medicine have claimed that by incorporating the best evaluated methods of health care, evidence-based practice leads to improvements in clinicians’ knowledge, teaching methods, communication with patients, and, most important, patient outcomes (Kerridge et al., 1998).
