In recent decades evidence-based practice (EBP) has gained recognition as a requirement
for a good professional practice. In professions such as medicine it has become a
service delivery norm, a requirement and an indicator of practice accountability. Though
its origin is credited to medical practice, EBP has become an important part of many
other professions such as nursing, allied health services, mental health, community
health, social work, psychology and teaching. It is now being promoted as an acceptable
and scientific method for policy formulation and practice assessment.
Evidence-based practice is the delivery of services based upon research evidence
about their effectiveness; the service provider’s clinical judgement as to the suitability
and appropriateness of the service for a client; and the client’s own preference as
to the acceptance of the service. The concept of EBP encourages professionals and
other decision-makers to use evidence regarding the effectiveness of an intervention
in conjunction with the characteristics and circumstances of a client and their own
professional judgement to determine the appropriateness of an intervention when
providing a service to a client. In this age of accountability, you as a professional
must be accountable to your clients as well as your profession. It is as a part of this
accountability that you need to demonstrate the effectiveness of the service(s) you
provide.
Research is one of the ways of collecting accurate, sound and reliable information
about the effectiveness of your interventions, thereby providing you with evidence of its
effectiveness. As service providers and professionals, we use techniques and procedures
developed by research methodologists to consolidate, improve, develop, refine and
advance clinical aspects of our practice to serve our clients better