Opinion - (2025) Volume 9, Issue 2
Received: 01-Apr-2025, Manuscript No. cmcr-25-177680;
Editor assigned: 03-Apr-2025, Pre QC No. P-177680;
Reviewed: 17-Apr-2025, QC No. Q-177680;
Revised: 22-Apr-2025, Manuscript No. R-177680;
Published:
29-Apr-2025
, DOI: 10.37421/2684-4915.2025.9.365
Citation: Al-Sheikh, Fatima. ”Evidence-Based Practice: Implementation, Challenges, Evolution.” Clin Med Case Rep 09 (2025):365.
Copyright: © 2025 Al-Sheikh F. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Evidence-based practice (EBP) and evidence-based medicine (EBM) are critical for enhancing healthcare quality and patient outcomes. The broad scope of EBP involves systematic implementation, continuous evaluation, and dedicated educational strategies to foster competence and effective application across diverse settings. This article presents the Advancing Research and Clinical Practice Through Close Collaboration (ARCC) Model as a systematic approach for integrating evidence-based practice (EBP) across healthcare systems. It emphasizes the importance of EBP mentors and leaders, a supportive infrastructure, and continuous evaluation to foster EBP belief and competence among clinicians, ultimately improving patient outcomes and healthcare quality. The model provides a framework for sustainment, highlighting practical strategies for long-term implementation success[1].
This scoping review identifies common barriers and facilitators to implementing evidence-based practice (EBP) in Saudi Arabian healthcare. Key barriers include insufficient time, heavy workloads, lack of EBP knowledge and skills, and inadequate resources. Facilitators involve supportive leadership, access to EBP education and training, collaborative environments, and organizational cultures that value evidence. Understanding these factors is crucial for developing targeted strategies to enhance EBP uptake in diverse clinical settings[2].
This scoping review explores how evidence-based practice (EBP) is integrated into undergraduate nursing education. It highlights diverse pedagogical approaches, including dedicated EBP courses, integration across the curriculum, and simulation-based learning. The review identifies both strengths and gaps in current educational strategies, emphasizing the need for standardized EBP competencies, increased clinical application opportunities, and faculty development to better prepare future nurses for EBP roles[3].
This systematic review synthesizes qualitative research on how evidence-based practice (EBP) influences clinical decision-making. It reveals that practitioners often integrate various types of evidence, including research findings, clinical expertise, and patient preferences, in complex and nuanced ways. The review highlights the impact of organizational context, professional roles, and individual beliefs on EBP uptake, suggesting that a purely linear application of evidence is rare and clinical reasoning remains central[4].
This review article examines the current state of implementing evidence-based public health (EBPH). It discusses progress made in training, tools, and research dissemination, while also acknowledging persistent challenges related to organizational capacity, political will, and the complexity of real-world settings. The authors advocate for a greater focus on implementation science to bridge the gap between research and practice, ensuring public health interventions are effective and widely adopted[5].
This qualitative study investigates the crucial role of "practice champions" in facilitating the implementation of evidence-based practices (EBPs) within mental health services. It highlights how these champions, often frontline clinicians, drive EBP adoption by serving as internal experts, motivators, and problem-solvers. Their dedication, leadership, and ability to navigate organizational challenges are key to overcoming resistance and ensuring successful EBP integration, ultimately improving patient care outcomes[6].
This provocative article argues that evidence-based medicine (EBM) is facing a crisis, pointing to issues like the overreliance on randomized controlled trials, publication bias, and the difficulty of applying decontextualized evidence to complex individual patients. It calls for a more nuanced, holistic approach to EBM that integrates diverse forms of evidence, acknowledges patient values, and embraces shared decision-making, moving beyond a purely positivist paradigm[7].
This commentary advocates for a shift from a focus on patient adherence to patient engagement, drawing lessons from the shared decision-making (SDM) movement. It highlights that integrating shared decision-making into evidence-based practice empowers patients to participate actively in their care by considering their values and preferences alongside clinical evidence. The authors argue that this collaborative approach improves patient satisfaction, treatment concordance, and ultimately, health outcomes, representing a more patient-centered paradigm[8].
This systematic review evaluates the effectiveness of interprofessional education (IPE) in developing evidence-based practice (EBP) competencies among health professions students. It finds that IPE interventions can significantly enhance students' knowledge, skills, and attitudes towards EBP, particularly when designed with active learning strategies and opportunities for collaborative practice. The findings support integrating IPE into health professional curricula to better prepare future practitioners for team-based, evidence-informed care[9].
This article examines the critical role of context in evidence-based policymaking (EBPM). It argues that merely presenting research evidence is often insufficient, as policy decisions are heavily influenced by political feasibility, societal values, and practical implementation challenges. The authors advocate for a more nuanced approach to EBPM that considers how evidence interacts with diverse contextual factors, promoting a dialogue between researchers and policymakers to achieve more impactful and sustainable policy outcomes[10].
Evidence-based practice (EBP) is systematically integrated into healthcare through various models and strategies. The Advancing Research and Clinical Practice Through Close Collaboration (ARCC) Model offers a structured framework for system-wide EBP implementation and sustainment. This model highlights the critical role of EBP mentors and leaders, the necessity of a supportive infrastructure, and the importance of continuous evaluation. These components collectively foster clinicians' belief and competence in EBP, which subsequently improves patient outcomes and overall healthcare quality. The ARCC Model also provides practical strategies to ensure the long-term success of EBP initiatives [1].
Implementing EBP, however, is not without its difficulties, as illuminated by a scoping review on Saudi Arabian healthcare. This review identified common barriers, including insufficient time for EBP activities, heavy workloads, a general lack of EBP knowledge and skills among practitioners, and inadequate access to necessary resources. Conversely, several factors were found to facilitate EBP adoption. These include strong, supportive leadership, readily available EBP education and training programs, collaborative work environments that encourage evidence use, and organizational cultures that inherently value and promote evidence. A clear understanding of these intertwined factors is essential for developing tailored strategies to improve EBP uptake across diverse clinical settings [2].
The cultivation of EBP capabilities begins at the educational level, particularly within nursing and other health professions. A scoping review examining EBP integration in undergraduate nursing education revealed various pedagogical approaches, such as dedicated EBP courses, cross-curricular integration, and simulation-based learning. While acknowledging the strengths in current educational strategies, the review also pointed out gaps, emphasizing the need for standardized EBP competencies, increased opportunities for clinical application, and ongoing faculty development to adequately prepare future nurses for their EBP roles [3]. Extending this, interprofessional education (IPE) has been shown to be effective in enhancing EBP competencies among health professions students. IPE interventions notably improve students' knowledge, skills, and attitudes towards EBP, especially when designed with active learning strategies and opportunities for collaborative practice. These findings strongly support the integration of IPE into health professional curricula, ensuring future practitioners are well-prepared for team-based, evidence-informed care [9].
EBP significantly influences clinical decision-making, which involves a complex interplay of various forms of evidence. A systematic review of qualitative studies demonstrated that practitioners frequently integrate research findings, their own clinical expertise, and individual patient preferences in nuanced ways. The review highlighted that organizational context, professional roles, and personal beliefs all impact EBP uptake, suggesting that a purely linear application of evidence is rare and that clinical reasoning remains a central element [4]. Furthermore, a critical shift is advocated from focusing solely on patient adherence to promoting active patient engagement, drawing insights from the shared decision-making (SDM) movement. This perspective asserts that incorporating SDM into EBP empowers patients to be active participants in their care by considering their values and preferences alongside clinical evidence. This collaborative approach leads to improved patient satisfaction, better treatment concordance, and ultimately, enhanced health outcomes, signifying a more patient-centered paradigm [8].
The application of evidence extends beyond direct clinical care to broader public health initiatives and policymaking. A review article on implementing evidence-based public health (EBPH) discussed advancements in training, tools, and research dissemination, while also acknowledging persistent challenges. These challenges include limitations in organizational capacity, the influence of political will, and the inherent complexities of real-world settings. The authors advocate for an increased focus on implementation science to bridge the research-practice gap, ensuring public health interventions are both effective and widely adopted [5]. In the realm of policymaking, the critical role of context in evidence-based policymaking (EBPM) is emphasized. This suggests that simply presenting research evidence is often insufficient, as policy decisions are profoundly shaped by political feasibility, prevailing societal values, and practical implementation hurdles. A more nuanced approach to EBPM is necessary, one that acknowledges how evidence interacts with diverse contextual factors and fosters ongoing dialogue between researchers and policymakers to achieve more impactful and sustainable policy outcomes [10].
Within the EBP ecosystem, certain roles are crucial for successful integration. A qualitative study illuminated the vital role of 'practice champions' in facilitating the implementation of evidence-based practices (EBPs) within mental health services. These champions, typically frontline clinicians, are instrumental in driving EBP adoption by serving as internal experts, motivators, and effective problem-solvers. Their dedication, leadership qualities, and ability to navigate organizational obstacles are key to overcoming resistance and ensuring successful EBP integration, which ultimately leads to improved patient care outcomes [6]. Despite these efforts and advancements, a provocative article argues that evidence-based medicine (EBM) is currently facing a crisis. This critique points to issues such as an overreliance on randomized controlled trials, the pervasive problem of publication bias, and the inherent difficulty of applying decontextualized evidence to the unique and complex situations of individual patients. The article advocates for a more nuanced, holistic approach to EBM, one that actively integrates diverse forms of evidence, fully acknowledges and respects patient values, and embraces shared decision-making, thereby moving beyond a purely positivist paradigm [7].
Evidence-based practice (EBP) is a crucial aspect of modern healthcare and public health, with several models and strategies supporting its implementation and sustainment. The Advancing Research and Clinical Practice Through Close Collaboration (ARCC) Model, for instance, provides a systematic approach, emphasizing mentors, infrastructure, and continuous evaluation to foster EBP competence and improve patient outcomes [1]. However, its implementation faces common barriers such as insufficient time, heavy workloads, lack of knowledge, and inadequate resources, particularly noted in Saudi Arabian healthcare settings. Facilitators include supportive leadership, EBP education, and collaborative environments [2]. Integrating EBP into undergraduate nursing education is also vital, utilizing diverse pedagogical approaches like dedicated courses and simulation-based learning to prepare future nurses [3]. For clinicians, EBP influences decision-making by integrating research findings, clinical expertise, and patient preferences, recognizing that a purely linear application of evidence is uncommon [4]. Public health similarly grapples with EBP implementation, seeing progress in training and tools but facing challenges in organizational capacity and political will, necessitating a focus on implementation science [5]. Key roles, like 'practice champions' in mental health services, are essential for driving EBP adoption by acting as experts and problem-solvers [6]. Despite these efforts, evidence-based medicine (EBM) is facing a crisis, critiquing overreliance on randomized controlled trials and calling for a more holistic approach that values patient input and shared decision-making [7, 8]. This shift towards patient engagement, moving beyond mere adherence, improves satisfaction and health outcomes [8]. Moreover, interprofessional education enhances EBP competencies among health professions students, preparing them for team-based, evidence-informed care [9]. Finally, context plays a critical role in evidence-based policymaking, where political feasibility and societal values interact with research evidence to shape impactful outcomes [10].
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