The Foundation of Modern Care
Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) is the conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients.
Best Research Evidence
Clinically relevant research from basic sciences and patient-centered clinical trials.
Clinical Expertise
Skills and experience used to identify each patient’s unique health state and diagnosis.
Patient Values
Unique preferences and expectations each patient brings to a clinical encounter.
The Hierarchy of Evidence
Reliability Index
Click a segment of the pyramid to evaluate its evidence strength and detailed study description.
Scientific Synthesis
A systematic review utilises a rigorous, predefined protocol to synthesise all available high-quality research on a specific clinical question.
Defining PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) parameters before initiation.
Comprehensive database interrogation (PubMed, Embase) for peer-reviewed literature.
Applying Risk of Bias (RoB) tools to ensure only robust data informs the results.
Unified conclusions that provide actionable guidance for clinical practice.
Strategic Impact
- Elimination of selection bias (Cherry Picking).
- Consolidation of disparate results into a consensus.
Statistical Pooling
Interpreting the Forest Plot
Effect Size (The Box)
The point estimate. The size of the box represents the “weight” (sample size) of that study.
Confidence Interval (The Line)
The range of uncertainty. A wider line means less precision. If the line crosses “No Effect,” the study is not significant.
Heterogeneity (I2)
Measures “scatter.” How much do studies disagree? High I2 suggests the studies are too different to combine reliably.
Active Simulation: Forest Plot
Primary vs. Secondary Research
Primary Research
Direct scientific inquiry through the collection of raw data from subjects.
- Direct patient recruitment and observation.
- Examples: Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs).
Secondary Research
Filtering and analyzing existing peer-reviewed publications.
- Integration of multiple study results.
- Examples: Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses.
| Feature | Primary (e.g., RCT) | Secondary (e.g., Systematic Review) |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | One Specific Hypothesis | Universal Consensus |
| Data Source | Patients/Samples | Peer-Reviewed Papers |
| Statistical Power | Dependent on N | Maximum Power |