LibGuides: Evidence-Based Practice: Understanding EBP

Understanding Evidence-Based Practice and Research

Evidence Based Medicine
A research guide compiled at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
4S: Studies, Syntheses, Synopses, Systems
An article by R. Brian Haynes breaking down how to read scientific literature.

Johns Hopkins Evidence-Based Practice for Nurses and Healthcare Professionals, Fourth Edition by Deborah Dang; Sandra Dearholt; Kim Bissett; Madeleine Whalen; Judith Ascenzi
A foundational book on EBP in nursing in healthcare, the fourth edition is fully revised to include updated content based on more than a decade of the model’s use, refinement in real-life settings, and feedback from nurses and other healthcare professionals around the world.
How to Read a Paper by Trisha Greenhalgh
Demystifies evidence-based medicine and explains how to critically appraise published research and also put the findings into practice.

Don't Trust Everything You Read — Read Critically

When searching for evidence in the literature, pay close attention to research methodologies and how studies were done.

The following articles focus on the autism / vaccine debate. The Wakefield article is the original article that ignited the debate; the rebuttal, published the same year, is based on epidemiological methodology.

Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children.
Original article published by Wakefield et al in The Lancet in 1998, saying that vaccines cause autism.
Vaccine adverse events: Causal or coincidental?
Rebuttal published by Chen & DeStefano in The Lancet in 1998.

The Wakefield article was retracted in February 2010, but the debate continues.

Retraction—Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children.
Retraction published by the editors of The Lancet in 2010.