
Defining a practice-based question: Key steps to evidence based practice
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Step 5 Evaluate and reflect |
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Step 4 Implement the evidence |
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Step 3 Critically appraise the evidence |
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Step 2 Find the evidence |
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Step 1 Review the practice and ask the question |
Here are the five steps to evidence based practice. These are taken from the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme funded by the NHS. We will be concentrating on step 1, particularly on how to develop an appropriate focused question and pointing you in the direction of sources of evidence to match your question.
In step 2, the sort of evidence we want you to find as part of this module is primary research evidence. You are looking for this to build up a literature review which in turn is presented as a critically appraised body of evidence to examine your question. In other words, did you find strong, good evidence in the form of six primary pieces of research, to answer your practice based question or is additional or better quality research required?
Step 3, the appraisal process - the School of Health and Life Sciences use the appraisal framework in the ‘Blue Book’, ‘Accessing and Assessing Research for Evidence-based Practice’). Stages 4 and 5 are up to you in practice!
Pages developed with the help of Jamie Frankis, Lesley Price, Pauline Hamilton, and Ima Jackson of the School of Health and Life Sciences, GCU