Evidence-Based Practice: APPLY & ASSESS

Before applying the evidence to your patient, think about the following questions:

• Are the patients in the study similar to my patient?
  • If the answer is no; are the differences significant?
• What are the study's primary and secondary outcomes?
  • Does either match the PICO question outcome?
• Are the treatment benefits worth any potential harm or costs?

If you are satisfied with the answers to these questions, use the evidence for patient care.

Assess the effectiveness of the process:

• Was the PICO question answerable?
• Was good evidence found?
• Was the evidence appraised effectively?
• Did the integration of the evidence with your clinical expertise and the patient's unique needs lead to acceptable patient care?

Based on your assessment, you may alter your question and restart the EBP cycle.