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Evidence-Based Practice Guide

Image from the UT Southwestern Library's Evidence-Based Search Process handout

The Evidence-Based Search Process is comprised of three pages. Click on the image to view pages two and three.

  • Page 1: Evidence-Based Search Process – Graphically depicts the relationships between type of EBM Foreground Question, preferred study design in descending levels of evidence. The Clinical Query or best one-term is provided to filter your results to the best evidence.
  • Page 2: Evidence-Based Medicine Pyramid – The traditional hierarchy of evidence that supports therapeutic interventions shows the inverse relationship between quantity and quality/relevance of primary studies and other information sources. At the top of the pyramid are the secondary research papers, systematic reviews/meta-analyses, generally considered the highest level of evidence. When you do not find the answer in a systematic review/meta-analysis, you may need to go down the pyramid and review other resources. It is important to remember when evaluating the merits of an individual study, it involves more than checking its study design versus an evidence hierarchy/pyramid. All information is not necessarily equivalent. For example, a methodically flawed randomized controlled trial should not be placed above a well-designed cohort study. (Greenhalgh, 2019). For more information on the hierarchy of evidence, see Chapter 5: Finding Current Best Evidence - Hierarchy of Evidence (Guyatt). For more information on the study design, see Getting your bearings, what is this paper about? (Greenhalgh, 2019).
  • Page 3: Appraisal – Select questions are included to use as a starting point to appraise the evidence retrieved for a specific foreground question.