Evidence-based practice (EBP) integrates researched scientific evidence with clinical expertise, patient needs, and expectations. It involves systematically searching for and appraising the best evidence to make clinical decisions. An EBP approach should be considered whenever a clinician, hospital, laboratory, or institution wants to implement a significant change in practice that can affect patient outcomes or care delivery.
EBP requires the judicious use of protocols and algorithms. It requires that any new therapy, procedure, or test be shown to be better than an existing method before it is adopted. Many clinicians think of EBP as applying only to patient treatments, but it can also be used for laboratory testing. The objective of EBP for the laboratory professional is to provide sound reasons and rationale for changing clinical practice. The goal of EBP is to improve the quality of patient care.
Using an EBP approach will also facilitate recruiting others to adopt the change.
