Defining Evidence-Based Practices

What does the term evidence-based mean? What are the criteria for determining if a program or practice is evidence-based? Multiple organizations have come up with similar definitions and criteria in an attempt to characterize what evidence-based means. These classifications tend to be on a continuum that at a minimum assesses the quality of the evaluation, design and methodology, the outcomes produced and for whom, the replication by more than one researcher, and the availability of a manual. The more criteria a program meets, the more grounded in science the program is thought to be.

To help clarify the term evidence-based we present you with some of the more commonly used definitions and criteria, and also provide links to seminal documents that help shape this important movement.

Evidence-based practices are defined as:

• "...the integration of best research evidence with clinical expertise and patient values... Patient values refers to the unique preferences, concerns, and expectations that each patient brings to a clinical encounter." (Crossing the Quality Chasm, Institute of Medicine, 2001, p. 147)

• "...interventions for which there is consistent scientific evidence showing that they improve client outcomes." (Drake et al., 2001, p. 180)