Reflection

This module has introduced you to the concept and steps of evidence-based practice (EBP), explored both secondary and primary forms of evidence, defined various types of study designs, and outlined the sources of evidence available on CIAP. Educational support resources are provided for further learning.

Review the learning outcomes for this module and reflect on what you have achieved. You might like to reflect on the following questions and/or consider your own:

• Have I achieved the learning outcomes, and to what extent?
• What are my specific and general information needs?
• How might these change over time?
• How will I apply my learning to my work or study?
• What is my plan moving forward? (for example: I will learn about 2 new resources in the next month; I will enrol in an educational event; I will search for a journal of interest; and so on.)

Put your learning into practice as soon as you can. If you would like to learn more about EBP, continue your journey in Module 2, where you will learn to formulate clinical questions as a strategy for searching for information.

Follow these examples to practice navigating the left menu of CIAP:

1. You need information about the dose of a medication for a child. Select Medications from the CIAP left menu. A panel displays the collection of medication information resources available to you. Choose the resource that best meets your requirement (i.e. paediatric dosing). Your choices might include the Australian Medicines Handbook Children’s Dosing Companion, Micromedex, BNF for Children, or Pediatric Care Online. If you are uncertain about which of these resources to use, you could select Medications Guide to find recommended resources relating to the topic: ‘Children’.
2. You are a physiotherapist and would like to see what high-level evidence and practice recommendations are available in your specialty area. Select Evidence-Based Practice from the CIAP left menu and then PEDro (Physiotherapy Evidence Database) to view randomised controlled trials, systematic reviews, and clinical practice guidelines for physiotherapy.
3. You want to find a clinical practice guideline. Select Guidelines from the CIAP left menu to view the resources available. You will note that Therapeutic Guidelines and NSW Health Guidelines, are readily accessible, as are other NSW, Australian, and International guidelines. Explore some of these links to see the type of information provided in each. Your choice will depend on the type of information you need at a given time.
4. You would like to access a journal to read more widely within your discipline or specialty. Select Journals from the CIAP left menu. A list of the most popular journals appears on the panel, or you can select Full CIAP Journal List and use the search field to find journals by title or subject.

Try exploring the CIAP left menu to view other resources.

Your information needs might differ with the changing context/demands of your work and study. Finding the ‘right’ evidence for each information requirement becomes more efficient as you become familiar with the structure of, and content within, each CIAP menu option.