Main description:

Evidence-based practice has become a central part of physiotherapy today, but it is still an area which is constantly expanding and being updated. Written by an international team of experts, this second edition continues to outline the basic definitions of evidence-based practice and clinical reasoning, while detailing how to find and critically appraise evidence and clinical practice guidelines and the steps to follow in the implementation and evaluation of evidence. For those struggling to understand both the concepts and how to implement them, this book will prove to be an invaluable and practical guide.

Considers how both quantitative and qualitative research can be used to answer clinical questions
Written for readers with different levels of expertise

Highlighted critical points and text box summaries (basic)
Detailed explanations in text (intermediate)
Footnotes (advanced)

Presents detailed strategies for searching physiotherapy-relevant databases
Extensive consideration of clinical practice guidelines

Chapter asking the question: When and how should new therapies be introduced into clinical practice?
Search strategies
Evaluating quality of interventions
Placebo effects
Meta-regression

Contents:

Foreword by Sir Iain Chalmers Preface to the first edition Preface to the second edition

Chapter 1 Evidence-based physiotherapy: what, why and how? What is 'evidence-based physiotherapy? Why is evidence-based physiotherapy important? History of evidence-based health care How will this book help you to practise evidence-based physiotherapy?

Chapter 2 What do I need to know? Relevant clinical questions Refining your question

Chapter 3 What constitutes evidence? What constitutes evidence about effects of interventions? What constitutes evidence about experiences? What constitutes evidence about prognosis? What constitutes evidence about the accuracy of diagnostic and screening tests?

Chapter 4 Finding the evidence Search strategies Finding evidence of effects of interventions Finding evidence of prognosis and diagnostic tests Finding evidence of experiences Getting full text Finding evidence of advances in clinical practice (browsing)

Chapter 5 Can I trust this evidence? A process for critical appraisal of evidence Critical appraisal of evidence about the effects of intervention Critical appraisal of evidence about experiences Critical appraisal of evidence about prognosis Critical appraisal of evidence about diagnostic tests

Chapter 6 What does this evidence mean for my practice? What does this randomized trial mean for my practice? What does this systematic review of effects of intervention mean for my practice? What does this study of experiences mean for my practice? What does this study of prognosis mean for my practice? What does this study of the accuracy of a diagnostic test mean for my practice?

Chapter 7 Clinical guidelines as a resource for evidence-based physiotherapy What are clinical guidelines? History of clinical guidelines and why they are important Where can I find clinical guidelines? How do I know if I can trust the recommendations in a clinical guideline?

Chapter 8 When and how should new therapies be introduced into clinical practice? The life cycle of a medical innovation A case study Proposal for a protocol for introduction of new therapies Anticipation of some objections

Chapter 9 Making it happen What do we mean by 'making it happen? Changing is hard Evidence-based implementation Evidence-based physiotherapy in the context of continuous quality improvement

Chapter 10 Am I on the right track? Assessing patient outcomes: clinical measurement Assessing the process of care: audit Concluding comment

Index