Evidence-Based Practice

"[W]hen we intervene in the lives of others we should do
so on the basis of the best evidence available regarding
the likely consequences of that intervetion."

-Geraldine MacDonald (1998)

The Definition

Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) is the "...conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of current best evidence..." (Sacket, et al., 2000) in making clinical practice and policy decisions.

In child welfare:

Conscientious means practitioners always maintain awareness of their moral obligation to consider all available evidence and guard against bias and duplicity;

Explicit means practitioners and policy makers are clear about the reliability, validity, and applicability of evidence used in decision-making, and can clearly justify their decisions;

Judicious means practitioners use practical reasoning and clinical expertise to assess children and families' unique characteristics, preferences, and circumstances when making case recommendations.

The Basic Tenets

		EBP is an ongoing and emendatory process. This means EBP is corrective and improving constantly -- what we did in the past is not as good as what we can do in the future.
		EBP recognizes a hierarchy of evidence that is based on scientific rigor from clinical experience (least rigorous) to standardized reviews of randomized control trials (most rigorous).
		EBP requires transparency and objectivity in both intervention and policy decision-making.
		EBP cautions practitioners to avoid generalizing evidence to populations beyond the scope of the research.
		EBP requires structure and methodology to effectively translate research to practice.
		EBP requires critical thinking and appraisal skills.
		EBP encourages practitioners to form the questions that drive research.
		EBP recognizes "best practice" is practice based upon the "best available evidence."

Resources:

• EBP Web Resources (PDF Document)
• EBP Glossary of Terms (PDF Document)

References:

Bronson, D. (2006). Evidence-based practice: Identifying and removing barriers to implementation. American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, 18, 2-6.

Chaffin, Mark, Friedrich, Bill (2004). Evidence-based treatments in child abuse and neglect, Children and Youth Services Review, 26, 1097-1113.

Gambrill, E. (2006). Evidence-based practice and policy: Choices ahead. Research on Social Work Practice, 16, 338-357.

Heffner, J.E. (1998). Does Evidence-based medicine help the development of clinical practice guidelines? Chest, 113, 172-178.

MacDonald, G. (1998). Promoting evidence-based practice in child protection. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 3 (1), 71-85.

Sackett, D.L., Straus, S.E., Richardson, W.S., Rosenberg, W., & Haynes, R.B. (2000). Evidence-based medicine: How to practice and teach EBM (2nd ed.). Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.

Hughes, R., Fitch, S., An Evidence Based Practice System for Child Welfare. In Press.