SPECIAL SESSION: Evidence-Based Practice: Unpacking Some Key Issues and Challenges

Description/Overview: How do we show what we do in clinical practice works? Given often quoted figures suggesting that 35-45% of patients are not receiving care according to research evidence, and 20-25% of care provided is not needed or could cause harm, it is an appropriate question to ask – but a difficult one to answer. Despite considerable investment in the generation of research, for the most part, it is not used routinely in practice. Traditionally the translation of research into practice was seen as a linear and technical process at the level of the individual describing changes in practitioners’ behaviour in line with guidelines. Recently there has been an increasing recognition, emanating from a growing international multi-disciplinary evidence base that knowledge use is complex, mediated by multiple factors. This complexity raises particular challenges for both implementers and evaluators. This session, which will be interactive and participatory, will unpack some of the key issues involved in evidence-based practice. Issues to be discussed include the use of theory and frameworks to inform evidence-based practice efforts, and the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to implementing and evaluating evidence implementation. The session will provide an opportunity and the space for participants to discuss and share their experiences of the challenges of evidence-based practice, and for considering some ways forward.