Athletic Training

Evidence-based practice (EBP) can be defined using different words and descriptions, but all definitions include these 3 basic parts: best available evidence, the professional's clinical expertise, and the patient's circumstances and values.

The EBP cycle starts with a patient condition, and then moves through 5 steps to aid in the decision making process to provide the best medical care for the patient.

1. Ask a well-built clinical question
2. Acquire the best evidence 
3. Appraise the evidence
4. Apply the results to the patient  
5. Evaluate the application to the patient

Evidence levels in EBP reflect study design rigor. Higher-tier methods, like RCTs, offer stronger evidence but are less common. The evidence pyramid illustrates this hierarchy-fewer high-level studies, more lower-tier ones. Aim to find/use articles from the RCT level or above when possible.