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Nursing Students' Guide to Evidence Based Research: Introduction to Evidence-Based Practice

Resources for Nursing Students

What is 'Evidence-Based Practice"?

The best-established definition of evidence-based practice comes from Dr. David Sackett, who has been called the father of evidence-based medicine:

"Evidence based medicine is the conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients. The practice of evidence-based-medicine means integrating individual clinical expertise with the best available external clinical evidence from systematic research"  (Sackett,  Rosenberg, Gray, Haynes, and Richardson, 1996, p. 71).

The diagram below illustrates the interconnected elements that are the basis for evidence-based practice.

Diagram of components of evidence-based practice. Three boxes, each representing a key concept, are arranged to form a square, with arrows from each box pointing toward the space in the center. Box 1: Best Research Evidence; Box 2: Clinical Expertise; Box 3: Patient Values and Preferences. The space in the center of the square formed by the boxes is labeled EBP (evidence-based practice) showing that EBP relies on these three components to produce high-quality patient care.

(original source unknown; retrieved from Nursing - Houston: Evidence-Based Practice, Libraries, Texas Woman's University, http://libguides.twu.edu/c.php?g=391469&p=2658135)

5 Steps to Evidence-Based Practice

The following five steps are the core of evidence-based nursing:

  1. Ask a clinical question;
  2. Gather the best evidence;
  3. Evaluate evidence;
  4. Integrate knowledge gained from research with clinical experience and patient values/preferences, and apply to treatment/care of patient;
  5. Evaluate outcomes.

This diagram shows the five steps listed above as a continuous cycle, represented by a circle, with each step represented by an arrow. Caption reas: "The 5 steps of evidence-based practice based upon the Sackett et al model."

Source: Johnson, C. (2008). Evidence-based practice in 5 simple steps. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 31(3), 169-170. doi.org/10.1016/j.jmpt.2008.03.013. Retrieved from https://www.jmptonline.org/article/S0161-4754(08)00096-1/pdf

Learn More about EBP

Some models break the process into several more steps.

Other Professions Do It, Too

This diagram, labeled "Defining EBP Across the Professions, shows a circular list of professions that apply EBP to their work: Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Public Health, Physical Therapy, Communication Science and Disorders, Laboratory Medicine, Social Work.

Source: Wade, C. (n.d.). Nursing 419: Concepts of evidence-based nursing practice: Evidence-based practice tutorial. University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Libraries. Retrieved from http://guides.library.uwm.edu/c.php?g=802331&p=5732500