Subject and Research Guides: Evidence-Based Practice and Medical Education: Evidence-Based Practice

Overview Tutorials

Introduction to Evidence-Based Practice - Duke University & University of North Carolina
This self-paced tutorial will take you through the complete EBM process, emphasizing the elements of a well-built clinical question and the key issues that help determine the validity of evidence

The following guides have been selected for their relevance to the principles taught in AMED 884:

Answering Clinical Questions Tutorial - University of Western Australia
Four modules will help you to answer clinical questions using an EBP approach.
Evidence-Based Medicine Tutorial - SUNY Downstate Medical Centre
Work at your own pace through this tutorial.
Evidence Based Medicine - Finding the Best Clinical Literature - University of Illinois
This guide is designed to assist health care professionals and students become effective and efficient users of the medical literature.

Health care knowledge grows so rapidly that you will be out of date by the time you ‘memorise the textbook’.
Health care knowledge is now too vast to keep up to date with all the key publications, even in your field.
Today’s information environment allows you to get information ‘just in time’ rather than ‘just in case’.
EBP allows you to individualise the information for your patient’s situation.
EBP teaches you to integrate the best available information with clinical expertise, patient values, and your health care environment.
EBP helps you to challenge dogma and avoids uncritical acceptance of ‘usual practice’.
EBP can be simple, quick, and will give you skills for lifelong learning and up to date practice.

Barriers	Solutions
Uncritical acceptance of 'usual practice'	Learn to question dogma
Failure to recognise and ask clinical questions	Practice recognising and asking clinical questions
Perceived lack of time	Understanding the resources available to find answers quickly and effectively
Lack of EBP skills	Learn these EBP skills here
Lack of access to information resources	The internet removes this barrier - some good quality resources are freely available
Applying the right answer to the wrong patient	Remember that the final step in EBP is to consider the individual patient, their values, and your practice setting
Lack of knowledge and support from colleagues for an EBP approach	Explain, teach, and model EBP approach in your practice

Source: Answering Clinical Questions. University of Western Australia