Evidence-based Practice

Catalog description

This course is designed to prepare healthcare professionals with the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to make independent judgments about the validity of sources of evidence. The primary focus is on critical appraisal of research, including ident ifying potential sources of bias and making a professional judgment of the seriousness of the risk of bias. This course will also cover the concepts of evidence-based practice with emphasis on forming answerable clinical questions and effective literature search strategies. The evaluative approach to appraising the research literature will prepare the students to critique and judge evidence based on the accuracy and validity of diagnostic tests, effectiveness of clinical interventions, prognosis for patient s with health -related conditions, and chance of harm or benefit from select preventative and therapeutic factors. Within key activities and assignments, students will formulate a key clinical question, rapidly search medical and health-related databases, perform a critical appraisal of research evidence, and describe the application of the evidence.