Posted: May 15th, 2023

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE?

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE?. March 21, 2010, was not EBP’s date of birth, but it may be the date the approach “grew up” and left home to take on the world.

When the Affordable Care Act was passed, it came with a requirement of empirical evidence. Research on EBP increased significantly. Application of EBP spread to allied health professions, education, healthcare technology, and more. Health organizations began to adopt and promote EBP.

In this Discussion, you will consider this adoption. You will examine healthcare organization websites and analyze to what extent these organizations use EBP.

To Prepare:

Review the Resources and reflect on the definition and goal of EBP.
Choose a professional healthcare organization’s website (e.g., a reimbursing body, an accredited body, or a national initiative).
Explore the website to determine where and to what extent EBP is evident.
Post a description of the healthcare organization website you reviewed. Describe where, if at all, EBP appears (e.g., the mission, vision, philosophy, and/or goals of the healthcare organization, or in other locations on the website). Then, explain whether this healthcare organization’s work is grounded in EBP and why or why not. Finally, explain whether the information you discovered on the healthcare organization’s website has changed your perception of the healthcare organization. Be specific and provide examples.

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I chose the website of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to review for this discussion. AHRQ is a federal agency that supports research that improves the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care.

The AHRQ website has a section on evidence-based practice (EBP) that provides information on what EBP is, why it is important, and how to implement it. The website also provides links to a variety of resources on EBP, including tools, toolkits, and evidence reports.

I found that the AHRQ website does a good job of promoting EBP. The website clearly defines EBP and explains why it is important. The website also provides a variety of resources to help healthcare professionals implement EBP in their practice.

Based on my review of the AHRQ website, I believe that the agency’s work is grounded in EBP. The website provides clear evidence that AHRQ is committed to using the best available evidence to improve the quality of health care.

My perception of the AHRQ has not changed significantly as a result of my review of the website. I have always been impressed with AHRQ’s commitment to research and its efforts to improve the quality of health care. However, I am glad that I had the opportunity to learn more about EBP and AHRQ’s work in this area.

Here are some specific examples of how the AHRQ website promotes EBP:

The website defines EBP as “the conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients.”
The website explains why EBP is important by stating that it “can help to ensure that patients receive the best possible care, based on the latest research.”
The website provides a variety of resources to help healthcare professionals implement EBP in their practice, including tools, toolkits, and evidence reports.
Overall, I believe that the AHRQ website is a valuable resource for healthcare professionals who are interested in learning more about EBP. The website provides clear information on what EBP is, why it is important, and how to implement it. I would recommend the AHRQ website to any healthcare professional who is interested in improving the quality of their practice.