When selecting an orthopaedic clinic in Singapore, or any healthcare provider for that matter, you might have come across the term “evidence-based practice”. Evidence-based practice, or EBP for short, has been gaining ground in a vast range of fields, including healthcare. Curious how it works? Read on to find out more about the meaning behind evidence-based medicine and its benefits for patients.
What is an Evidence-Based Practice (EBP)?
In 1991, a Canadian physician, Gordon Guyatt, worked with a team of professionals to devise a healthcare methodology that moved the clinical decision-making process away from intuition and unsystematic experience to a strategy based on scientific research.
Evidence-based medicine is a healthcare approach that integrates the following three elements:
- The Surgeon: The education and the clinical experience of the orthopaedic surgeon.
- Best Evidence: The conscientious use of the leading clinical evidence is supported by well-designed studies based on sound methodologies. The evidence supports the decisions made around the diagnosis, prognosis, patient therapy, and clinical and health care issues.
- Patient Preference: The expectations and preferences of the patient must be taken into account.
This methodology ensures that the medical practitioner no longer relies purely on his expertise or archaic practice. They use the latest data available, improving their diagnostic skills and the outcome for the patient.
The Five Steps of EBP
When it comes to evidence-based practice, there are specific steps to follow to enable success. The EBP methodology contains the following elements:
- Asking relevant clinical questions: Patient values are an essential component of the EBP approach, and in-depth consultations will take place to discuss all aspects of the case.
- Obtaining the best available evidence: Medical science is constantly advancing by leaps and bounds. EBP principles demand that the clinician investigates the latest discoveries that apply to the client. This way, the doctor can use data from hundreds of other patients rather than just those they have treated.
- Analysis of the evidence: Once the investigation is concluded, the data can be analysed by reading and critically appraising peer-reviewed literature.
- Integration of the evidence with clinical practices: Integrating the critical appraisal with our clinical expertise and with our patient’s unique biology, values and circumstances to make evidence-based recommendations
- Evaluation of the results: Monitoring results and evaluating the effectiveness of the treatment to determine if it is suitable or if it can be improved.
What Does EBP Mean For You as a Patient?
Technicalities aside, think of EBP as a way of getting more personalised care and optimal outcomes. The bottom line is that your orthopaedic surgeon will not consult a cookbook of diagnoses to pick out a recipe for treatment. Instead, the surgeon will work with you, the patient, to devise a cost-effective solution based on current scientific evidence and your wishes that results in better healthcare.
You will have a proactive role in your treatment, leading to a positive mindset that increases the chances of recovery and provides a cost-effective procedure. Your treatment will not be done to you; it will be done with you.
OrthofootMD is an orthopaedic clinic in Singapore that prides itself on providing top-notch orthopaedic care guided by evidence-based practices. There is no need to live with pain in your hips, knees, ankles, or other joints. The cause should be investigated, and an appropriate course of treatment should be devised.
Keen to know more about EBP? Reach out to us at any time — we are happy to discuss our healthcare approach and work with you to find a lasting solution based on evidence-based principles and practices.
