Skip to Main Content

Evidence Based Practice

Challenges within EPB

While evidence-based practice (EBP) is widely regarded as a gold standard in many fields, it's not without its criticisms or challenges. It's important to remember the limitations of EBP so that you can use it appropriately.

 

Do I really need to double-check the studies the studies I find, it's been published!

Ioannidis J. P. (2005). Why most published research findings are false. PLoS medicine2(8), 124. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0020124

What about the inherent biases in the publication process?

Song, F., Parekh, S., Hooper, L., Loke, Y. K., Ryder, J., Sutton, A. J., Hing, C., Kwok, C. S., Pang, C., & Harvey, I. (2010). Dissemination and publication of research findings: an updated review of related biases. Health technology assessment (Winchester, England)14(8), iii–193. https://doi.org/10.3310/hta14080 

Are Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses really all that?

Ioannidis J. P. (2016). The Mass Production of Redundant, Misleading, and Conflicted Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses. The Milbank quarterly94(3), 485–514. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-0009.12210

Does EBP work for everyone?

Lee, H., Fitzpatrick, J. J., & Baik, S.-Y. (2013). Why isn’t evidence based practice improving health care for minorities in the United States? Applied Nursing Research, 26(4), 263–268. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apnr.2013.05.004

Dawson, S., Campbell, S. M., Giles, S. J., Morris, R. L., & Cheraghi-Sohi, S. (2018). Black and minority ethnic group involvement in health and social care research: A systematic review. Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy21(1), 3–22. https://doi.org/10.1111/hex.12597

Does Grey Literature change anything?

Hartling, L., Featherstone, R., Nuspl, M., Shave, K., Dryden, D. M., & Vandermeer, B. (2017). Grey literature in systematic reviews: a cross-sectional study of the contribution of non-English reports, unpublished studies and dissertations to the results of meta-analyses in child-relevant reviews. BMC medical research methodology17(1), 64. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-017-0347-z

What unique challenges does Education Face in implementing EBP?

Biesta, G. (2007). Why “What Works” Won’t Work: Evidence-Based Practice and the Democratic Deficit in Educational Research. Educational Theory, 57(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-5446.2006.00241.x

What about Occupational Therapy?

Hinojosa, J. (2013). The Evidence-Based Paradox. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 67(2), e18–e23. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2013.005587

 Chat with a librarian