Evidence-based mental health

In implementing evidence-based practice (EBP), clinicians use the best available evidence alongside their clinical expertise, taking into consideration subjective preferences and expectations from each patient over potential benefits and harms associated with treatments. For instance, one patient may be more willing to choose a treatment associated with dizziness and high benefits, while another patient may decide to opt for a treatment with lower chances of causing dizziness and medium benefits. This module will introduce the rationale behind EBP and explain how clinicians can find, use and interpret research within the context of their prior knowledge.

Learning objectives

By the end of this module, you should be able to:

• identify areas of your practice on which more research is needed
• master the ability to formulate questions that can be answered with reference to evidence
• describe what a secondary evidence source is and understand its uses
• search for common secondary evidence sources efficiently
• describe what a primary evidence source is and understand its uses
• search for primary evidence sources efficiently
• reflect on approaches to integrating EBP with your existing knowledge and with your patients’ preferences.

Section headings

1. What is evidence-based practice and why do we need it?
2. Secondary evidence: what it is and how to find it
3. Critically appraising secondary evidence
4. Primary evidence: definition and tips
5. Using and interpreting research

Availability

This module is available as part of a CPD eLearning subscription.