Xavier University Library: Evidence-Based Practice Assignment

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Instructions

Read the EBP introduction.
View a database video.
Find an article in a research database.
Determine the level of evidence for your article.
Use the glossary to define terms you do not understand.
Analyze your article using the PICO form.

1. Introduction¹

Read this brief introduction to evidence-based practice:

Evidence-based practice is the conscientious use of current best evidence in making decisions about client/patient care. It is a problem-solving approach to clinical practice that integrates:

A systematic search for and critical appraisal of the most relevant evidence to answer a clinical question
One's own clinical expertise and experience
Client/patient preferences and values

This tutorial will focus on the search for and critical appraisal of relevant evidence in the journal literature.

¹Melnyk, B.M., & Fineout-Overholt, E. (2005). Evidence-based practice in nursing & healthcare: A guide to best practice. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (pg. 6).

2. Database Video (optional, but the EBP Tips in part 3 are essential.)

View one of the video tutorials below to learn how to search an EBSCO or OSearch database and find articles that provide some level of evidence for practice.

Nursing: EBSCO video
Occupational Therapy: EBSCO or OhioLINK video
Social Work: EBSCO video

3. Database Search

Find a research article that provides some level of evidence for practice in one of the Highly Recommended research databases for your discipline.

If you viewed the EBSCO video, select an EBSCO database (for example, CINAHL, MEDLINE or Social Work Abstracts). If you viewed the OhioLINK video, select an OhioLINK database (for example, ERIC or PsycINFO).

Follow one of the links below to select your database. Make sure to follow the instructions in the EBP Tip for the database.

4. Level of Evidence²

Determine the level of evidence for your article using the table below.

Level I.	Evidence from a systematic review or meta-analysis of all relevant randommized controlled trials, or evidence-based clinical practice guidelines based on systematic reviews of randommized controlled trials. See the article examples below: Nursing Occupational Therapy Social Work
Level II.	Evidence obtained from at least one well-designed randommized controlled trial. See the article examples below: Nursing Occupational Therapy Social Work
Level III.	Evidence obtained from well-designed controlled tirals without randomization.
Level IV.	Evidence from well-designed case-control and cohort studies. Nursing Occupational Therapy Social Work
Level V.	Evidence from systematic reviews of descritptive and qualitative studies.
Level VI.	Evidence from a single descritptive or qualitative study. Nursing Occupational Therapy Social Work
Level VII.	Evidence from the opinion of authorities and/or reports of expert committees. Nursing Occupational Therapy Social Work

²Melnyk, B.M., & Fineout-Overholt, E. (2005). Evidence-based practice in nursing & healthcare: A guide to best practice. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (pg. 10).

5. Glossary (optional)

Use this glossary to define terms you do not understand, such as types of research methods or statistical concepts. For example, a systematic review is:

A review of a clearly formulated question that uses systematic and explicit methods to identify, select, and critically appraise relevant research, and to collect and analyse data from the studies that are included in the review. Statistical methods (meta-analysis) may or may not be used to analyse and summarise the results of the included studies.³

³Cochrane Collaboration. Glossary of Cochrane Collaboration terms. Retireved February 8, 2007 from http://www.cochrane.org/resources/glossary.htm.

6. PICO Analysis⁴

Analyze the article you found using this PICO form. The acronym PICO stands for:

Patient/client population of interest
Intervention of of interest
Comparison of interest
Outcome of interest

When you click the SUBMIT button on the bottom of the form your responses will be emailed to your professor.

⁴Richardson, W. S., Wilson, M. C., Nishikawa, J. & Hayward, R. S. (1995). The well-built clinical question: The key to finding the best evidence efficiently. ACP Journal Club, 123, A12-13.