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“The search for truth is in one way hard and in another way easy, for it is evident that no one can master it fully or miss it wholly. But each adds a little to our knowledge of nature, and from all the facts assembled there arises a certain grandeur.”
–Aristotle
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After you select your priority topic (Chapters 1–3) and form a team (Chapter 4), you will begin to search and assemble the literature, appraise articles, and synthesize the body of evidence. This step in the evidence-based practice (EBP) process can seem daunting. Follow an organized process and use tools provided in this chapter to keep the work organized and the tasks manageable. The project direction may evolve during evidence synthesis, as the interventions and outcomes in the literature inform the project purpose. Therefore, literature assembly, appraisal, and synthesis may not be linear, but rather a series of loops (see Figure 5.1). Stay focused to advance through the process. Project leaders need advanced leadership, project management, and delegation skills to manage tasks and distribute the workload. Appraisal and synthesis of evidence is a shared responsibility of the EBP team. Involving the EBP team creates a learning environment and also helps team members understand the science supporting practice change. A group approach also shares the work, helps to balance intellectual biases, and capitalizes on individual expertise. The goal is to create practice recommendations supported by the body of evidence, using a transparent and reproducible process. The evidence will arm the team with citations and research sound bites (see Strategy 1-3) to use in implementing the practice change with peers and across disciplines.
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In conducting a search for evidence, follow a prescribed systematic process, such as a checklist, to stay organized and promote efficient use of time (see Tool 5.1). The assistance of a skilled health science librarian to design the search will increase the efficiency and yield the most relevant evidence (Deberg & Egeland, 2014; Flynn & McGuinness, 2011; Krom, Batten, & Bautista, 2010). Alternatively, user-friendly tutorials are available for developing your own search skills.
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RESOURCES: Tutorials for Online Literature Searches
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The PICO components (Patient population/problem/pilot area, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcome) from the purpose statement provide a guide to identify the most ...