News From the DOR: Implementing Evidence-Informed Practice During Midwifery Care
We hear the terms “evidence-based practice” (EBP) or “evidence-informed practice” (EIP) used often in the healthcare world, being cited as an expected and central component of high-quality care delivery. But what do these terms really mean? There is a misconception that in EBP/EIP approaches, “research evidence” automatically equates to “what I should do in practice”. This, however, is simply not true. EBP/EIP rests in the triad intersection between the best available research with your professional expertise as the practitioner alongside the client’s individual values, needs, and context. Figure 1 (below) visually represents what we are striving for when we say EBP or EIP, in ultimate commitment to improved client care, informed choice, and shared decision-making models.
You may be thinking: okay, I definitely have expertise as a midwife, and I feel I have a good understanding of my client’s unique needs, but how do I integrate research into practice? A great place to start is with a series of modules on the Principles of Evidence Informed Practice from the University of Minnesota. These modules are self-paced, free of charge, geared towards busy practitioners, and thus intended to be short and sweet, ranging from just a mere 15 minutes to 30 minutes of your time. The series includes: Section I – Overview of Evidence Informed Practice; Section II – Types of Research; Section III – Using Evidence in Practice; and Section IV – Understanding Research & Statistics; plus resources and guiding sheets to help you implement evidence-informed practice during client care. Advance your professional self and check out these modules.
Finally, how do you find research to integrate? There are many peer-reviewed journals and scholarly databases to help you in your search. A few core ones to consider (many of which are open access!) are:
Directory of Open Access Journals
North American Journal of Medical Sciences
ERIC: Institute for Educational Sciences (collection: midwifery)
Quick Tip: for those users of handheld devices, check out the free app, PubMed for Handheld (search in the app store for “PubMed4HH”). Acknowledgements to the Consortium of Evidence-informed Practice Educators.
Pre-appraised literature options:
