I’ve been thinking about how evidence-based practice is relevant to daily life as a therapist. I enjoyed reading Arlene McCurtin and Hazel Roddam’s Review, Evidence-based practice: SLTs under siege or opportunity for growth? The use and nature of research evidence in the profession, in the International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders. Check it out!
Many clinicians and managers I’ve spoken to think that evidence-based practice (EBP) consists solely of evidence from systematic research. Which means the mantra – base service decisions on EBP, can seem punitive rather than supportive. Watch Kate Malcomess describe how clinicians can feel dismissed and devalued if they don’t have an evidence base, in her 5 minute lightning talk. McCurin and Roddam use a definition by Dollaghan (2007) that highlights there are three components of EBP: research evidence, the expertise of the clinician (internal to clinical practice), and patient values and preferences.