Steps involved in EBM
Step 1: Assess your patient and determine the pertinent issues. You may be looking for evidence about therapy options, prognosis or diagnostic techniques.
Step 2: Ask a clinical question. Use the PICO model to formulate a clear and concise clinical question.
Step 3: Acquire the best evidence. Search the appropriate databases and resources to find the best evidence.
Step 4: Appraise the evidence. Determine whether the information you found is relevant, valid and applicable to your patient.
Step 5: Apply the evidence to your patient. Ensure that the evidence and recommendations meet your patient's values and expectations.
For more information on formulating a PICO question
The PICO Model
What is the PICO Model?
Defining a clinical question in terms of the specific patient problem aids the searcher in finding clinically relevant evidence in the literature. The PICO Model is a format to help define your question.
Before you start your search, it is important to have a well-built question. One way to construct a well-built question is to use the PICO model. PICO stands for patient/population, intervention, comparison and outcomes.
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Patient/Population |
Intervention |
Comparison |
Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
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Who is your patient?
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What do you plan on doing for the patient?
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What alternative are you considering?
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What do wish to accomplish?
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Example: Is adherence to the Mediterranean Diet associated with reduced risk of heart attack?
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Patient/Population |
Intervention |
Comparison |
Outcomes |
|
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