PART ONE: UNDERSTANDING AND USING ‘EVIDENCE’
2. Evidence-Based and Evidence-Informed Practice
Part of the increased emphasis on using evidence to inform our work and provide the best possible service to people is reflected in the concept of “evidence-based practice” or EBP (Plath, 2013). At its simplest, EBP means that individuals and organisations are using evidence about the effectiveness of services and interventions when making decisions in practice (Gray et al., 2013).
EBP originally came from the field of medicine but is increasingly promoted and adapted into other contexts (Gitterman & Knight, 2013; McNeece & Thyer, 2004). In human services, (Gray et al., 2013).
“In human services, EBP is an approach to practice in which workers get information on the best available evidence (research evidence), which is used together with the client context and values (contextual evidence), and the practitioner’s own expertise and knowledge (experiential evidence).” (Gray, et al., 2013).
It is important to realise that EBP promotes combining all three categories of evidence to provide relevant and informed services.
EBP can be misinterpreted as drawing only on available research evidence, and while this is important to draw on, it needs to be considered with the context of your work and the people you are working with to ensure informed, responsive and relevant approaches.
On the other hand, using only experiential or contextual evidence can also be insufficient to show your service is evidence-based. Experiential and contextual evidence often lack the rigour of research evidence, and are more open to being influenced by our subjective viewpoints. An approach that integrates all three types of evidence is ideal.
To counteract these potential misinterpretations regarding what EBP entails, the language of Evidence-Informed Practice (EIP) is becoming increasingly adopted, to recognise the key role that client circumstances and organisational context play, in the process of selecting appropriate approaches in our practice (Plath, 2017).
So, what language should I be using? EBP and EIP essentially overlap, as EIP aims to counteract misinterpretations of EBP and difficulties in implementing research evidence into practice. Both EBP and EIP aim to apply evidence in health and welfare services (Kumah, et al., 2022). This means you can choose either term, but it is helpful to consider how these terms might be interpreted, and to be clear about how you are combining available evidence with the context of your work.
For example, the language of ‘Evidence-Informed Practice’ signals an integrated approach to incorporating research evidence with contextual factors of your service, professional judgement and client preferences (Nevo & Slonim-Nevo, 2011). It is important when using EIP, however, to clarify the thoughtful and intentional ways that evidence is being used in your setting to show you are not just picking parts of research evidence that support what you are already doing. Using ‘Evidence-Based Practice’ is likely to be interpreted as basing your practice in the best available research evidence, so it is important to clarify the ways that evidence is relevant to your context and the people who access your service.
EBP/EIP promotes combining all three categories of evidence to provide relevant and informed services.
There are several reasons to incorporate EBP/EIP. Evidence adds credibility to the services being provided and a basis for service delivery that is based on more than the knowledge that we, or those around us, have developed in practice overtime (Plath, 2013). Using approaches which have been proven to be helpful aligns with the value base of human service organisations to work accountably and with professional competence (Drisko & Grady, 2019). Furthermore, most practitioners in human services are accountable to a code of ethics, e.g. the Australian Association of Social Workers (2020) Code of Ethics, or the recently released ACT Youth Work Code of Ethical Practice (2023), many of which require practitioners to work from an evidence base.
For those who are interested, a more detailed dive into EBP vs EIP can be read here.
Thinking about the three types of evidence in your service or program:
Take a moment to consider each kind of evidence in your current or intended service. What evidence do you already have available? Which areas of evidence will you need build further?
1. Research Evidence
2. Contextual Evidence
3. Experiential Evidence
