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Chapter One
EVIDENCE-INFORMED PRACTICE
Eileen Gambrill
Evidence-based practice (EBP) describes a philosophy and process designed to forward
effective use of professional judgment in integrating information regarding each client's
unique circumstances and characteristics, including their preferences and actions, and external
research findings. It involves the "integration of best research evidence with clinical
expertise and [client] values" (Sackett, Straus, Richardson, Rosenberg, & Haynes, 2000,
p. 1):
Without clinical expertise, practice risks becoming tyrannized by external evidence, for even excellent
external evidence may be inapplicable to or inappropriate for an individual patient. Without current best
external evidence, practice risks becoming rapidly out of date, to the detriment of patients. (Sackett,
Richardson, Rosenberg, & Haynes, 1997, p. 2)
Evidence-informed practice is a guide for thinking about how decisions should be
made (Haynes, Devereaux, & Guyatt, 2002). It requires the "conscientious, explicit and
judicious use of ... read full excerpt from Comprehensive Handbook of Social Work and Social Welfare ebook
