Evidence

What is Evidence?

Evidence is information about what works or what is effective. It is information that has been systematically collected over time and under different circumstances using scientific principles. Examples of “evidence” are found in:

• Information produced by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.
• Clinical guidelines: for example, The Guide to Clinical Preventive Services (2nd edition), which make recommendations regarding the effectiveness of individual clinical preventive services .
• Guide to Community Preventive Services, which uses evidence-based research and practice to make recommendations on population-based public health interventions .
• “Best Practices” from the US DHHS Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) .
• Health Services/Health Technology Text, NCBI, is a free web site with full-text documents on evidence-based practice and guidelines.

Explore various definitions of “evidence”.

Explore how topics are selected.

How is Evidence created?

There are different types of evidence and different ways to collective evidence, but generally evidence is generated by:

• Establishing criteria for what information will be obtained
• Where the information can come from (for example, most “evidence-based” data come from peer-reviewed research studies);
• Conducting certain types of analysis that indicate how reliable and reproducible the results of the studies are;
• Reporting

Learn more about how evidence is created

• Read a paper on the various methods, models and data sources used in generating evidence.
• Read about how the US Preventive Services Task Force uses and rates evidence and their recommendations.
• Learn about how the Community Preventive Services Task Force uses and rates evidence.
• Read a paper on methods used to compare the value of clinical preventive services.

How is Evidence Used?

Evidence can be used to inform decision-making in both medicine and public health. For example, evidence can be used to:

• Develop a clinical protocol that specifies which medications work best for what conditions and under what circumstances;
• Develop a policy for schools about the use of inhalers for children with asthma;
• Create and implement a parent education program on the effective safe storage of firearms in the household.

There Are Different Kinds of Evidence

Evidence can:

• Tell us that something needs to be done.
• Show us specifically what should be done.
• Allow us to compare one course of action to another – for example, what is the difference between using one medication for asthma and another?

What is Evidence-Based Practice?

Evidence-based practice is a program, policy or course of action that uses information about what works.  Evidence-Based Practice Centers (EPCs) are organizations funded by the federal government to conduct research and assess and synthesize scientific literature on a variety of clinical, behavioral, economic and organizational topics related to health care. EPCs are awarded 5-year contracts and most are university-based and/or large technology or health consultant organizations. EPCs produce evidence reports and technology assessments, and they provide technical assistance for translating that information into practical tools to improve the quality of health care, processes for measuring performance, and health care information.

Why Do We Care About Evidence or Evidence-Based Practice?

• Evidence helps us understand the relationships between a course of action and an outcome. For example, creating an Action Plan for a child with asthma can reduce the possibility that the child will need to be hospitalized for an asthma attack.
• We have limited resources and we want to our resources to achieve the best possible outcomes. So, we are constantly looking for “proof” of what creates the best outcomes.
• When faced with competing choices, information about evidence-based practice can help us choose by identifying what works and for whom.

Because evidence is collected using scientific principles, we are more likely to believe that it is accurate and correct. This is because we believe that science is objective and value-neutral.

View Evidence-Based Tools and Resources

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Page last updated: 06/15/2006

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