Evidence-Based Practice: Getting Started

Use the five "A's" to remember the critical steps of the evidence-based practice process:

ASK the answerable clinical question.

ACQUIRE the most relevant and best evidence to answer the question.

APPRAISE the evidence critically for validity, relevance, and applicability.

APPLY the evidence, along with critical expertise and the patient's preferences and values.

ASSESS the effectiveness and efficiency of the application of evidence and assess one's ability to ask, acquire, appraise, and apply in order to improve one's ability to conduct EBP.

References
Melnyk, B. M., & Fineout-Overholt E. (2015). Making the case for evidence-based practice. In: B. M. Melnyk & E. Fineout-Overholt (Eds.), Evidence-based practice in nursing & healthcare: A guide to best practice (3rd ed., pp. 3-23). Wolters Kluwer. (UH Manoa Hamilton RT42 .M44 2015)

Straus, S. E., Glasziou, P., Richardson, W. S., Haynes, R. B., Pattani, R., & Veroniki, A. A. (2019). Evidence-based medicine: How to practice and teach EBM (5th ed.). Elsevier. (UH Manoa Hamilton E-book)

The Hawaii State Center for Nursing has adopted the Iowa Model Revised to guide the process of evidence-based practice projects. The steps of the Iowa Model Revised also fall into the five "A's" listed in the box to the above.

ASK

• Identify triggering issues / opportunities
• State the question or purpose
• Determine if the topic is a priority
• Form a team

ACQUIRE

• Assemble, appraise and synthesize body of evidence

APPRAISE

• Assemble, appraise and synthesize body of evidence

APPLY

• Determine the sufficiency of the research
• Design and pilot the practice change

ASSESS

• Determine if change is appropriate to adopt into practice
• Integrate and sustain the practice change
• Disseminate the results

References
Iowa Model Collaborative, Buckwalter, K. C., Cullen, L., Hanrahan, K., Kleiber, C., McCarthy, A. M., Rakel, B., Steelman, V., Tripp-Reimer, T., Tucker, S., & Authored on behalf of the Iowa Model Collaborative (2017). Iowa Model of Evidence-Based Practice: Revisions and Validation. Worldviews on evidence-based nursing, 14(3), 175–182. https://doi.org/10.1111/wvn.12223 (PMID: 28632931)

Below are links to PubMed citation records for article series about EBP.

The resources below are unrestricted.

The resources below are unrestricted.

Sci/Tech Librarians' Email:
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