Library Research Guides: Emergency Medical Services: Evidence-Based Practice

PICO

To find the research efficiently, the first step is to ask a well-designed clinical question based on the PICO or PIO formula.

P = the Patient or problem
I  = the Intervention - drugs, treatments or therapy
C =  Comparison between the interventions (control and experimental) (optional - there might not be a comparison)
O =  Outcome – the results of the trials.

This formual provides a framework for you search strategy.

Evidence-Based Practice (EBP)

Evidence-based health care

Scientific methods used to determine which drugs and procedures are best for treating diseases? The answers may surprise you. Modern healthcare is undergoing a long-overdue and dramatic evolution.

Evidence-based health care

Evidence-based health care is the conscientious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients or the delivery of health services. Current best evidence is up-to-date information from relevant, valid research about the effects of different forms of health care, the potential for harm from exposure to particular agents, the accuracy of diagnostic tests, and the predictive power of prognostic factors [1].
Evidence-based clinical practice is an approach to decision-making in which the clinician uses the best evidence available, in consultation with the patient, to decide upon the option which suits that patient best [2].
Evidence-based medicine is the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients. The practice of evidence-based medicine means integrating individual clinical expertise with the best available external clinical evidence from systematic research [3].

Evidence Based Practice - Triad including Individual Clinical Experience, Best External Evidence and Patient Values and Expectations

The Evidence-based Medicine Triad
Source: Florida State University, College of Medicine. Retrieved 08.22.17.

Guidelines

Since 2008, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Emergency Medical Services and the Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) Program (Health Resources and Services Administration), have been fortunate to work with EMS stakeholders to create and pilot test a model for developing and implementing evidence-based guidelines (EBGs) for prehospital emergency care.

National Strategy to Promote Prehospital Evidence-Based Guideline Development, Implementation, and Evaluation
This report was developed by a steering committee of the National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP) as part of a cooperative agreement with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DTNH22-13-H00435). The report was funded by NHTSA with supplemental funding from the Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) program of the Health Resources and Services Administration.