Respiratory Care

Evidence-Based Practice

Evidence-based practice (EBP, Evidence-Based Medicine, or Evidence-Based Nursing), is a systematic process of appraising and using current research findings. The process includes these steps:

• formulating a clear clinical question of patient needs
• searching the current literature 
• evaluating the literature and deciding which studies are valid and useful to the patient
• applying the findings to the patient's care
• evaluating the outcome

Systematic Reviews

A systematic review focuses on a single question and tries to identify, appraise, select and synthesize all high-quality research evidence relevant to that question. It often uses the same techniques as the meta-analysis to combine valid research studies. The seven steps for preparing a systematic review as outlined by the Cochrane Handbook are:

• formulating the problem
• locating & selecting studies 
• critical appraisal of the studies 
• collecting data,
• analyzing & presenting results
• interpreting the results
• improving & updating the systematic review

STLCC Library Databases

Open Websites 

Some open websites include free abstracts and/or citations, but the full article or review is only available for a fee. Use the Document Delivery/Interlibrary Loan form to request articles that are not readily available in the library databases or open web. 

The Cochrane Library database publishes independent high-quality evidence to inform healthcare decision making.