ABSTRACT
In order to ensure that people receive the best healthcare, their clinical management and treatment need to be informed by the current best evidence of effectiveness.
In this Chapter, evidence-based healthcare is defined along with the Sicily Statement on evidence-based practice.
Readers are given a brief guide to literature searching for evidence including a list of appropriate databases and tips on using them. Issues such as search strategy, the scoping search and publication bias are also discussed.
The hierarchy of evidence is discussed as well as the 6S model, the GRADE system and the PRISMA statement. Other key issues such as reliability and validity are also covered. The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) is also introduced, which can be helpful in assessing the quality of a variety of study types.
There is also a newly expanded section explaining meta-analysis and forest plots. Finally, systematic reviews are briefly explored along with associated subjects such as QALYs.
