Evidence Informed Practice Model
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This model shows how you and your team can use evidence to inform your practice.
Keep reading to find out more about each stage of the model...
Introduction
Evidence informed practice
People working in social care have to make decisions every day. These decisions are informed by evidence from a whole range of sources, including:
- practice knowledge and experience (including professional wisdom and values, law and policy,
- knowledge from and about the community, the opinion of colleagues and other professionals and ‘gut feelings’)
- evidence from research.
This process of decision making is called evidence informed practice (EIP).
Evidence informed practice = Practice knowledge and experience + service user and carer wishes and experiences + research evidence
The evidence informed practice model
The evidence informed practice model shows how you can use evidence to improve your practice at all levels, from individual case work and day-to-day decision making, to team and service planning, the development of strategies and policies and the commissioning of services.
You may want to use evidence to:
- explain and justify your reasons for a decision
- strengthen an argument for a new service or intervention
- help you choose between different approaches
- tell service users or carers what the research says about services they are receiving
- raise your awareness about a condition or illness.
This model focuses on finding and using research evidence. You can use the model in your team, or to help you think about your individual practice. Try working through the model in your team meetings, or discussing it with your line manager in supervisions.
There are five stages to the model, and each stage is explained in more detail on the following pages. We’ve also included some tips and tools to help you with each stage.
North Team B is a fictitious team used throughout the model to illustrate how it can be applied in practice.
If you’d like more information about finding and using evidence in your practice, please contact the Information and Communications Officer, Neighbourhoods and Community Care
Telephone. 0114 273 4969 Email. nccinfo@sheffield.gov.uk
Telephone. 0114 273 4969 Email. nccinfo@sheffield.gov.uk
Acknowledgements
The evidence informed practice model was developed by the Research and Evidence Informed Practice Steering Group, Neighbourhoods and Community Care Directorate, Sheffield City Council.
The model was informed by existing publications including:
- Atherton, C., Barratt, M. and Hodson, R. (2005) Teamwise: using research evidence: a practical guide for teams Dartington: Research in Practice
- Frost, S. et al. (2006) The evidence guide: using research and evaluation in social care and allied professions. Barkingside: Barnardo’s / What Works for Children? / Centre for Evidence-Based Social Services.
Permissions
The evidence informed practice model is designed to be used by Sheffield City Council staff, and our service users and carers. This model is not to be reproduced for commercial purposes.
You can download the complete model as a .PDF document from the bottom of this page.
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© Sheffield City Council, 2008
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