Evidence-based practice (EBP) is an approach to decision-making that combines high-quality evidence, professional expertise, and the preferences and values of the individuals or populations served.
The evidence-based practice movement began in medicine but has since been adopted by many disciplines, including social sciences and education, as researchers and practitioners strive to deliver high-quality services based on solid evidence.
Create a PICOT question (Patient/Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, Time). Although PICOT was developed for the health sciences, it is still useful for other disciplines that use EBP, as each research question will incorporate the five components in slightly different ways.
PICOT Example in Social Work
Initial Question: How can we reduce anxiety in seniors who attend the senior center?
Question Breakdown:
PICOT Question: Does an expert-led nature walk at a local park, compared to a nature talk within the senior center, reduce anxiety in low-income seniors?
Once you have created a PICOT question, the next step is to find evidence in different types of studies. The infographic below illustrates the hierarchy of various study types and the corresponding level of evidence.
Database Recommendations
Library databases contain high-quality evidence, such as systematic reviews, randomized controlled trials (RCTs), cohort studies, and observational studies. Be aware that not all topics have been covered in systematic reviews or randomized controlled trials, so you must work with the evidence that is available on your topic. Most databases that contain peer-reviewed journal articles will be good sources for evidence-based practice research. Start with the links below to find key EBP databases:
How to Search
Turn your PICOT question into a keyword search string. Initial question: How do we reduce anxiety in seniors who come to the senior center? Here is an example of a simple keyword search string:
Seniors AND anxiety AND nature
Next, find synonyms for your keywords:
Senior* OR "senior citizens" OR elderly
AND
anxiety OR nervous* OR worry OR concern
AND
nature OR "nature exposure" OR "nature walk*"
Use the database's Advanced Search feature to implement this longer search string.
Quotation marks around a set of words will make the database search for those words as a phrase. The asterisk (*) is a truncation symbol that asks the database to look for word variations, e.g., nervous* will look for nervous and nervousness. Use database limiters such as peer-reviewed, date, and type of study to narrow your search. See our Develop a Search Strategy guide for more help.
Library Hack
Limit your results to systematic reviews and other review articles. Use source type or document type limiters (found on the results page) and select review or literature review to narrow your results to systematic, scoping, and other reviews.
Critically evaluate the evidence for its validity, impact, and applicability. When appraising evidence, consider the following:
Check with your instructor or course to see if they have specific appraisal tools they want you to use.
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Have a question or need help?
For an interactive guide to evidence-based practice, see this excellent module: