The aim of evidence-based medicine is to integrate current best evidence from research with clinical expertise and patient values. However, it is known that one of the major challenges for clinicians is to move from the theory of evidence-based medicine to the practice of it. Evidence-based practice requires new skills of the clinician, including framing a clear question based on a clinical problem, searching and critically appraising the relevant literature, and applying the findings to routine clinical decision-making, ideally at the individual patient level. Scientific evidence is increasingly accessible through journals and information services that should combine high-quality evidence with information technology. However, the process is not straightforward, as there are several barriers to the successful application of research evidence to health care. This chapter discusses both the prospects for harnessing evidence to improve health care and the problems that clinicians will need to overcome to practise ‘evidence-based-ly’.
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