The Benefits of Evidence Based Practice in Healthcare, Specifically Occupational Therapy

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Evidence Based Practice (EBP) is useful to practice because it aids practitioners development and widens their knowledge and insight, therefore enhancing the experience of the practitioner. This ensures that the best quality of care is given to the patient (Duncan, 2006).

EBP is defined by Sacket et al as 'the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients.' (Duncan, 2006) The best evidence in this context could therefore be argued to come from information that has been researched using quantitative methods that is numerical data that tests a hypothesis such as randomized control trials (RCT)(Duncan, 2006).

Therefore a knowledge of EBP would benefit an Occupational therapist because literature and research demonstrates that any interventions are both clinically and cost effective , Also it gives Occupational Therapists the tools and the evidence to justify and back up some of the interventions to the patients they are working with, the management team and to themselves (Taylor 2000).

An example of evidence based practice would be to find relevant studies for a specific topic area being researched. For example, to find the research paper titled ‘The efficiency of cotton cover gowns in reducing infection in nursing Neutropenic patients,’ the journal in which the article was published in this case, The International Journal of Nursing, would need to be found. Medline, an online database would be one method of finding this. A list of relevant search terms would then need to be researched by using the PICO Framework, this limits the search to only relevant items and ensures that a well built clinical question will then be formulated (Drummond,1998).

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...servational Studies: a review of study designs, challenges and strategies to reduce confounding, International Journal of Clinical Practice, 63, issue 5 :691-697, Online available at Wiley Interscience, accessed on 12.11.09

Miller and Wilson. (1983) cited in Drummond,A. (1998). Research Methods For Therapists, 1ST edition, Stanley Thornes Ltd, United Kingdom

Polgar, S. Thomas,S,A. (2000) .INTRODUCTION to Research in the Health Sciences, 4th edition, Harcourt publishers Ltd. London.

Sacket et al, cited in, Duncan, E,A,S, (2006) Foundtions for practice in Occupational Therapy, 4th edition, Elsevier Ltd.

Taylor C.M. (2000) Evidence-based practice for occupational therapists, 1st edition , Blackwell science, Oxford.

Treece and Treece. (1977:25) cited in Drummond,A. (1998). Research Methods For Therapists, 1ST edition, Stanley Thornes Ltd, United Kingdom.

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