practice with the term evidence-informed (EIP) practice implies that opposing EIP essentially means opposing practice informed by scientific evidence.
EIP is more than a static list of approved interventions that should be provided by practitioners regardless of whether client characteristics and preferences contraindicate an approved practice.
An EIP question is formulated by a practitioner and pertains to knowledge needed to guide practice.
Not all EIP questions imply the need to assess intervention effectiveness. Some pertain to macro levels of practice, including concerns about social policy and social justice.
Six common types of EIP questions that a practitioner might ask are:What factors best predict desirable or undesirable outcomes?What can I learn about clients, service delivery, and targets of intervention from the experiences of others?What assessment tool should be used?Which intervention, program, or policy has the best effects?What are the costs of interventions, policies, and tools?What are the potential harmful effects of interventions, policies, and tools?
Unlike authority-Informed practice that relies on testimonials from esteemed practitioner authorities, EIP requires critical thinking.
Critical thinking involves the ability to spot unfounded beliefs and assumptions and to inquire about the logic and evidence supporting them.
Developing an EIP outlook is not just about science; it is about being more client centered, more compassionate, and more ethical.
Some scholars criticize EIP by citing the argument that the choice of intervention is irrelevant because some studies have found that all interventions are equally effective if the practitioner providing them has good relationship skills. Proponents of the EIP process recognize the necessity of good relationship skills and other common factors that improve intervention outcomes broadly.
Practitioners can face challenges implementing EIP given the limits of existing research evidence.
REVIEW EXERCISES
1 Before reading Chapter 1, when have you encountered colleagues using the term evidence-based practice (or evidence-Informed practice)? How have they characterized it? Did they portray it in a manner that is consistent with the way it is defined in Chapter 1? If not, what would you tell them to improve their perception of, and perhaps their attitude about, evidence-informed practice?
2 Try to recall a situation in your education, in-service training, or interactions with colleagues when someone espoused a particular intervention, policy or practice idea based on authority or tradition. How did you react? Why did you react that way? To what extent was your reaction based on critical thinking? In light of what you have read in Chapter 1, how would you react now in a similar situation? Why would you react that way?
3 Think of a client you have worked with. Using the shaded area in Figure 1.1, identify elements of each of the three circles that would fit the shaded area with respect to that client, your expertise, and any evidence you are aware of regarding an intervention that fits that client.
ADDITIONAL READINGS
1 Brownson, R. C., Baker, E. A., Leet, T. L., & Gillespie, K. N. (2003). Evidence-informed public health. Oxford University Press.
2 Dallas Morning News. (1990, February 11). Welfare study withholds benefits from 800 Texans, p. 1.
3 Drake, R. E., Merrens, M. R., & Lynde, D. W.. (Eds.) (2005). Evidence-informed mental health practice: A textbook. Norton.
4 Gambrill, E. (2005). Critical thinking in clinical practice (2nd ed.). Wiley.
5 Gibbs, L. E. (2003). Evidence-informed practice for the helping professions. Brooks/Cole.
6 Haynes, R., Devereaux, P., & Guyatt, G. (2002). Physicians' and patients' choices in evidence based practice: Evidence does not make decisions, people do. British Medical Journal, 324, 1350.
7 Jackson, C. A. (1998). Evidence-informed decision-making for community health programs. Rand.
8 Jones, J. H. (1981). Bad blood: The tuskegee syphilis experiment. Free Press.
9 Lwin, K., & Beltrano, N. (2020). Rethinking evidence-based and evidence-informed practice: A call for evidence-informed decision making in social work education and child welfare practice. Social Work Education, 1–9.
10 Milgram, S. (1963). Behavioral study of obedience. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 67, 371–378.
11 Milgram, S. (1965). Some conditions of obedience and disobedience to authority. Human Relations, 18, 57–76.
12 Muir Gray, J. A. (2001). Evidence-informed healthcare: How to make health policy and management decisions (2nd ed.). Churchill-Livingstone.
13 Norcross, J. C., Beutler, L. E., & Levant, R. F.. (Eds.) (2006). Evidence-informed practices in mental health: Debate and dialogue on the fundamental questions. American Psychological Association.
14 O'Hare, T. (2005). Evidence-informed practices for social workers: An interdisciplinary approach. Lyceum Books.
15 Roberts, A. R., & Yeager, K. R.. (Eds.) (2004). Evidence-informed practice manual: Research and outcome measures in health and human services. Oxford University Press.
16 Sanderson, I. (2002). Evaluation, policy learning and evidence-based policy making. Public Administration, 80(1), 1–22.
17 Satterfield, J., Spring, B., Brownson, R. C., Mullen, E., Newhouse, R., Walker, B., & Whitlock, E. (2009). Toward a transdisciplinary model of evidence-based practice. Milbank Quarterly, 87(2), 368–390.
18 Strauss, S. E., Richardson, W. S., Glasziou, P., & Haynes, R. B. (2005). Evidence-informed medicine: How to practice and teach EBM (3rd ed.). Elsevier.
19 Tufford, L., Newman, P. A., & Woodford, M. R. (2012). Conducting research with lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations: navigating ethics board reviews. Journal of Gay and Lesbian Social Services, 24, 221–240.
20 Williams, J. B. W., & Ell, K. W. (1998). Advances in mental health research: Implications for practice. NASW Press.
2 Steps in the EIP Process
1 2.1 Step 1: Question Formulation
2 2.2 Step 2: Evidence Search 2.2.1 Some Useful Websites 2.2.2 Search Terms 2.2.3 An Internet Search Using Google Scholar and PsycINFO 2.2.4 A Time-Saving Tip
