Research Guides: Communicative Sciences and Disorders: Evidence-Based Practice

Fundamentals of Evidence-Based Practice

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is defined by "the integration of :

Clinical expertise/expert opinion: The knowledge, judgment, and critical reasoning acquired through your training and professional experiences
Evidence (external and internal): The best available information gathered from the scientific literature (external evidence) and from data and observations collected on your individual client (internal evidence)
Client/patient/caregiver perspectives: The unique set of personal and cultural circumstances, values, priorities, and expectations identified by your client and their caregivers"

Source: “Evidence-Based Practice (EBP).” American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, https://www.asha.org/research/ebp/. Accessed 15 Dec. 2020.

The EBP Process
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association describes the major steps of engaging in evidence based practice as a language professional.
Book: The Handbook for Evidence-Based Practice in Communication Disorders
"With this resource, speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and audiologists will learn to apply best evidence as they make critical decisions about the care of each individual they serve." NYU users can request this title via EZBorrow.

ASHA: Understanding Research Designs and External Scientific Evidence
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association describes the major major research designs and offers advice for matching clinical questions to the appropriate evidence type.
ASHA: Bias, Appraisal Tools, and Levels of Evidence
ASHA discusses bias, study appraisal and levels of evidence in CSD and SLP.

Scholarly Article: Critically Appraising Systematic Reviews in the Field of Speech-Language Pathology
This article describes critical appraisal of systematic reviews in a way that highlights the key steps and stages of completing this kind of evidence synthesis.

Donohue, C., Carnaby, G., & Garand, K. L. (2021). Critically appraising systematic reviews in the field of speech-language pathology: A how-to guide for clinician readers. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 1-13.