Evidence-based practice is a common approach many professionals take to ensure that their work follows ethical, legal, and effective guidelines by operating using formally studied methods. Levesque (2018) describes evidence-based practice as “making decisions involving practice by using scientific findings and processes rather than intuition” and “has spread essentially to all major fields.” Following evidence-based practice helps professionals defend their words and actions,
- When questioned why they have said or done something
- When considering the best actions (as part of professional development)
- When determining the most efficient approach
According to Franz and Mertz (2020), evidence-based practice includes six tasks:
- identifying a problem – when a knowledge gap arises
- researching the literature – particularly scientific literature describing the needed information
- critiquing the evidence – reviewing the literature to determine if it is scientifically sound
- formulating recommendations – synthesizing the information from the literature to determine the strongest scientific studies
- implementing practice changes – using the information to make changes in practice
- evaluation – determining the effectiveness of changes and if further research or changes are needed
These evidence-based practice concepts may be identified in Southern Arkansas University’s (2023) information literacy learning goal (ULG4):
“Information literacy is the ability to determine the nature of required information, to access it effectively and efficiently, and to evaluate it critically. It includes the responsible, legal, and ethical use of information.”
These same information literacy concepts are recognized in other professional organization guidelines. According to the Association for College and Research Libraries – Information literacy is defined as a set of abilities requiring individuals to “recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate and use effectively the needed information” (ACRL, 2000).
Professionals must use both information literacy knowledge and skills to use evidence-based practice. They also need to cite and reference their evidence-based practice resources. Professionals use formal writing styles to document the authoritative resources supporting their claims and actions in the form of citations and references. An example of a common professional writing style used amongst professionals is the American Psychological Association’s Publication Manual.
References
Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL). (2000). Information literacy competency standards for higher education. ALA: Chicago, IL. Retrieved from: https://alair.ala.org/bitstream/handle/11213/7668/ACRL%20Information%20Literacy%20Competency%20Standards%20for%20Higher%20Education.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
Franz, J., F., & Mertz, L. (2020). Evidence-based practice. In J. L. Longe (Ed.), Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine (6th ed.). Gale. https://search.credoreference.com/articles/Qm9va0FydGljbGU6NjQyMTA=?aid=102746
Levesque, R., J. R. (2018). Evidence-based practice. In R. J. R. Levesque, Encyclopedia of Adolescence (2nd ed.). Springer Science+Business Media. https://search.credoreference.com/articles/Qm9va0FydGljbGU6NDc4MTQ4MQ==?aid=102746
Southern Arkansas University [Author/Producer]. (2023). Undergraduate Catalog. https://catalog.saumag.edu/index.php?catoid=2
