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Evidence Based Practice in Nursing: Home

Guide to EBP in Nursing

What is Evidence Based Practice?

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is a problem-solving approach to the delivery of health care that integrates the best evidence from studies and patient care data with clinician expertise and patient preferences and values.

Melnyk, B. M., Fineout-Overholt, E., Stillwell, S. B., & Williamson, K. M. (2010). The seven steps of evidence-based practice: following this progressive, sequential approach will lead to improved health care and patient outcomes. American Journal Of Nursing, (1), 51.

Hierarchy of Evidence

Level I: Evidence from a systematic review or meta-analysis of all relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs)
Level II: Evidence obtained from well-designed Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs)
Level III: Evidence obtained from well-designed controlled trials without randomization
Level IV: Evidence from well-designed case-control and cohort studies
Level V: Evidence from systematic reviews of descriptive and qualitative studies
Level VI: Evidence from a single descriptive or qualitative study
Level VII: Evidence from the opinion of authorities and/or reports of expert committees

Melnyk, B. M., & Fineout-Overholt, E. (2015). Evidence-based practice in nursing & healthcare: a guide to best practice. Philadelphia, PA : Wolters Kluwer, [2015]..

Evidence Pyramid

 

Source: “EBM Pyramid.” Digital Image. Eli M. Oboler Library, 27 May 2016

Other Resources

Guide Attribution

Ellis, P. B. (2022). Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing LibGuide. Houston Cole Library. Jacksonville State University. https://libguides.jsu.edu/EBP