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CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
At the completion of this chapter, the reader will be able to:
Provide a historical perspective on the evolution of evidence-informed practice (EIP)
Discuss the importance of EIP
List some of the reasons why EIP became important in healthcare
Describe the various research designs and their advantages and disadvantages
Differentiate among the experimental, quasi-experimental, and nonexperimental research designs
Differentiate between the form and uses of the null and research hypotheses
Differentiate among and discuss the roles of independent, dependent, and extraneous variables
Discuss the concept of research validity of a study
List the various threats to validity
Describe the different types of reliability and the roles they play in EIP
Discuss the various hierarchies of evidence
Discuss how EIP can be used in clinical decision making
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An important component of the Vision 2020 statement set forth by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) is achieving direct access through independent, self-determined, professional judgment, and action.1 With the majority of states now permitting direct access to physical therapists, many physical therapists now have the primary responsibility for being the gatekeepers of healthcare and for making medical referrals. In light of the APTA’s movement toward realizing “Vision 2020,” an operational definition of autonomous practice and the related term autonomous physical therapist practitioner is given by the APTA’s board as follows:
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“Autonomous physical therapist practice is practice characterized by independent, self-determined professional judgment and action.”
“An autonomous physical therapist practitioner within the scope of practice defined by the Guide to Physical Therapist Practice provides physical therapy services to patients who have direct and unrestricted access to their services, and may refer as appropriate to other healthcare providers and other professionals and for diagnostic tests.”2
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Through the history and physical examination, a physical therapist obtains measurements to diagnose and classify different types of information for use in clinical reasoning and the plan of care.3 This requires that the clinician have a high level of knowledge, including an understanding of the concepts of medical screening and differential diagnosis. Also, the clinician must be able to determine the quality of the research evidence before integrating that evidence into his or her practice.
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Evidence is used comprehensively in clinical decision making within the healthcare professions. The physical therapy profession has expressed a commitment to the development and use of evidence through a variety of initiatives including the APTA’s introduction of a periodic feature in their journal, “Evidence in Practice,” and a database of research articles, “Hooked on Evidence.” Evidence-informed practice (EIP) refers to a practice that is associated with epidemiological evidence and healthcare needs.4
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CLINICAL PEARL
The production of evidence to support physical therapy services is only truly effective when practitioners integrate evidence into their practice.
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The term EIP is used to refer to specific evidence-supported ...