Library Guides: Nursing : Evidence-Based Practice Guidelines

About Evidence-Based Practice

Evidence-based practice (or evidence based medicine) is the conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients. The practice of evidence based medicine means integrating individual clinical expertise with the best available external clinical evidence from systematic research (Sackett, 1996, BMJ).

Image Source: UNC Health Sciences Library, "Evidence Based Practice Resources," https://hsl.lib.unc.edu/services/evidence-based-practice-resources

Evidence-Based Practice, Step by Step
A collection of 12 articles from the American Journal of Nursing, designed to give nurses the knowledge and skills they need to implement EBP consistently, one step at a time.

Library Databases for EBP

CINAHL Ultimate
See Evidence-Based Care Sheets along the top. Or scroll through Publication Type in Advanced Search to select filters such as Practice Guidelines, Systematic Reviews, and Evidence Based Care Sheets.
Cochrane Library
Systematic medical reviews and high-quality, independent evidence to inform health care decision-making.
PubMed
Use Article Type filters to search for systematic reviews.

EBP Guideline Resources - last updated 3/11/2022

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) EPC Evidence-Based Reports
A variety of reports created by evidence-based practice centers (EPC) funded by the AHRQ.
Trip Database
Database of clinical research evidence by third-party organizations. You can narrow specifically to guidelines in the search results. Full text may not be available for all sources.
Guideline Central Guideline Summaries
Guidelines issued by third-party organizations, curated by Guidelines Central. A free account is required to view the guidelines.
ECRI Guidelines Trust
This centralized repository includes evidence-based guidance developed by nationally- and internationally-recognized medical organizations and medical specialty societies. Free account required.
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) Guidance
Guidance and recommendations by the National Institute for Health And Clinical Excellence.
Medscape
A free database of EBP guidelines. You must register for an account.
Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO)
Guidelines produced by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.
Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN)
Comprehensive quality guidelines from an organization dedicated to improving patient care in Scotland.
U.S. Preventative Services Task Force Recommendations for Primary Care Practice
Recommendations created by the U.S. Preventative Task Force, an independent panel of experts in primary care and prevention.
AIDSInfo Clinical Guidelines
Federally approved medical practice guidelines for HIV/AIDS.
American Academy of Neurology Clinical Practice Guidelines
Guidelines by the American Academy of Neurology on the diagnosis and treatment of neurologic diseases.
American Association of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Clinical Practice Guidelines
Guidelines, tools, and resources by the American Association of Clinical Oncology.

In addition to these resources, you may have access to additional subscription-based databases, such as UpToDate, through your healthcare employer. You may also find additional subject-specific guidelines from non-profit or professional organizations like the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO) mentioned above.