Nursing

The final step of EBP is to assess the effectiveness of your practice and clinical decisions. 

The steps of evidence-based practice can be illustrated by a continuous evidence cycle. Once you have applied your evidence to your situation, you should evaluate how well it worked. This process often generates new clinical questions, prompting you to begin the cycle again.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• What questions do you still have, and what new questions have arisen?
• What assessments should you use to gather evidence?
• Was the diagnosis or treatment successful?
• Is there new evidence on this topic?
• What was the patient’s or community’s response or attitude?
• What new information would help you make a better decision next time?

Adapted from: Straus, S., Glasziou, P., Richardson, W., & Haynes, R. (2011). Evidence-based medicine: how to practice and teach it (4th ed.). Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier