Evidence-Based Practice Self-Guided Course Description
A self-guided course by the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) Value Institute
This course is designed to teach evidence-based practice (EBP) skills that will enable staff to conduct extensive evaluations of existing literature to improve patient care. These modules provide a comprehensive overview of EBP and the components essential for implementation of EBP in a clinical setting. Content is designed to focus on skills needed to critically evaluate new information available from research findings and professional consensus statements. Essential tools for clinical inquiry are addressed, including: developing PICO (Patient, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) questions, exploring levels of evidence, evaluating existing clinical guidelines, and critically analyzing and appraising research articles. These EBP skills can be used to inform MUSC policies, protocols, and decision support tools (e.g., order sets, nursing workflows, best practice alerts).
Introduction to Evidence-Based Practice
Learning Objectives
- Identify the major components of the EBP process.
- Produce current state process map.
- Develop clinical question(s) using PICO format.
- Search databases for evidence.
- Critically analyze research articles using hierarchy of evidence.
- Analyze stakeholder engagement.
- Determine appropriate metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of EBP implementation.
- Identify barriers to success.
- Develop countermeasures and implementation plan.
Upon completion of these modules, you should be able to synthesize collected evidence using an Evidence Table and make decisions based on evidence to improve care or clinical processes.