There are numerous benefits associated with evidence-based practice. For example:
- EBP promotes the quality, efficacy and cost-effectiveness of psychotherapeutic interventions and reduces the likelihood of harm
- Evidence-based psychotherapies are associated with greater quality and accountability, as well as higher levels of public health and wellbeing
- EBP enables practitioners to avoid treatments of little or questionable effectiveness, thereby saving time, money, and resources
- EBP minimizes the use of potentially harmful therapies (therapies that have been shown to have harmful effects on patients) and increases practitioner awareness of possible adverse effects of treatment
- EBP leads to the generation of new knowledge
- EBP provides an impetus for the enhancement and dissemination of the scientific evidence base for psychological interventions
- By promoting knowledge translation, EBP facilitates the clinical decision-making process for practitioners
- EBP has prompted researchers to focus more on synthesis and other elements of knowledge translation that facilitate and optimize the application of research findings in practice settings
- A focus on knowledge translation fosters the development of guidelines, databases, decision supports and other clinical tools that can help practitioners overcome the limitations of human judgment when determining treatment plans, particularly in complex care situations marked by uncertainty or multiple comorbidities
- EBP fosters lifelong learning and critical thinking among practitioners
- EBP calls for practitioners to identify and implement the practices that are supported by the best available evidence. As scientific knowledge continues to accumulate and progress, practitioners are called upon to continuously take note of which newer “best practices” have superseded older ones
- EBP’s emphasis on the use of multiple information sources, rigorous outcome evaluation and progress-monitoring measures provides a useful framework for critical thinking
- EBP promotes positive treatment outcomes by emphasizing shared decision-making between practitioners and clients
- EBP’s focus on informed consent and the consideration of clients’ unique experiences and preferences increases the likelihood of client engagement and collaboration, which are key predictors of positive treatment outcomes
WATCH: Implementing Evidence-Based Practice - A Clinician's Perspective. BY: Dr. Andrea Piotrowski
WATCH: Student Perspectives on Evidence-Based Practice. BY: Dylan Davidson
Content last reviewed: Sept, 2020