Start Here!!!! 

With evidence-based practice, you are trying to answer the basic question - What works (see the PubMed Health overview on Clinical Effectiveness below to learn more).  Treatments should ideally be based on the best evidence available.  With rare conditions, information (evidence) may come from a hand-full of cases, with more common conditions being more heavily studied.  With evidence-based practice (EBP) or evidence-based medicine (EBM), healthcare is based on statistically proven methods that have been shown to be effective.  There are varying levels of evidence available.  Please see the EBM Pyramid below to learn about the different levels of evidence.

Always Start and End with the Patient, applying the 5 A's of the Evidence-Based Practice Cycle

The Evidence-Based Practice Cycle follows the following steps:

1. The patient dilemma - what needs to be treated / evaluated
2. Ask - create a clinical question (PICO)
3. Acquire - find the relevant evidence-based information
4. Appraise - critically evaluate the acquired studies 
5. Apply - use the best-evidence in clinical practice with patient
6. Act - is this working for the patient? If not, repeat the process working to meet the needs of the individual patient

The EBM Pyramid displays the hierarchy of levels of evidence based on the type of resource you are using. As you go up the EBM Pyramid, the level of evidence becomes stronger.  See the EBM Pyramid below.

Or see this guide which includes the EBP Pyramid as well as a list of resources to help you find information types for each level of the EBP Pyramid.

Understanding study types and terminology related to EBP is fundamental.  

Please see the following terminology guides: