What is Evidence Based Care?

Evidence based care means using the best available information to make decisions about people’s care. Doctors, nurses, care staff, and other professionals rely on up-to-date and reliable facts to shape the way they look after others. This is not about guesswork or tradition. It blends science, experience, and what is right for each person.

Evidence based care rests on three key parts:

• The best research available about treatments or strategies
• The experience and judgement of care staff
• The preferences and needs of the person receiving care

This approach aims to offer safe, effective, and respectful care.

The Roots of Evidence Based Care

The basic idea of using proof to guide decisions is not new. It has roots in medicine over 150 years ago. Yet much of health care has been based on habits, custom, or what leaders in the field prefer. About 30 years ago, the term evidence based medicine (EBM) started to spread.

This new way of thinking meant that every step, from the diagnosis to treatment, should be tested and trusted. If something works, the staff keep doing it. If not, they try something that does.

Now, evidence based ideas guide health and social care right across the UK. CQC inspectors and best practice guidelines support this way of working.

Research and Its Place in Care

Research is careful study into how well a drug, action, or way of working supports health or wellbeing. The strongest proof comes from research with large numbers of people, clear plans, and checks to prevent bias.

High quality research is found in:

• Randomised controlled trials (RCTs)
• Systematic reviews and meta-analyses
• Observational studies
• Case-control studies
• Qualitative research (such as interviews or focus groups)

If a treatment or way of working helps people and there is strong proof, then care providers can trust its use.

The Process of Using Evidence Based Care

Staff who want to practise evidence based care work through four main steps:

1. Ask a clear question
2. Find the best evidence
3. Use judgement and experience to apply that evidence
4. Measure and review what happens

Step 1: Ask a Clear Question

Staff often use the PICO model to shape questions:

• Patient or problem
• Intervention (what is being considered)
• Comparison (sometimes, what is it being compared to)
• Outcome (what result do we want)

For example: “Does turning immobile adults every two hours (Intervention) reduce pressure ulcers (Outcome) compared with every four hours (Comparison)?”

Step 2: Find the Best Evidence

Reliable sources include:

• NICE guidelines
• Cochrane reviews
• National Institute for Health Research
• Academic journal articles
• NHS resources

Staff search for the clearest and most relevant answers. Outdated, low-quality, or untested advice is rarely used.

Step 3: Use Experience and Judgement

Not every piece of proof fits every person. The care worker’s experience helps to fit scientific ideas with a person’s life, needs, and choices. Sometimes, a standard treatment may not suit an individual due to allergies, cultural beliefs, or personal wishes.

Step 4: Measure and Review

After a care plan is carried out, staff monitor what happens. If a treatment does not help or causes harm, they return to step one. This cycle keeps care safe and up to date.

Making Sense of Terms: Research, Guidelines, and Protocols

Research is the raw study. Teams may run trials comparing two medicines or support methods, or ask people in care homes what works for them.

Guidelines are summaries of the best available research, matched with expert judgement. In the UK, NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) issues national guidelines for many conditions and situations.

Protocols are step-by-step instructions for staff to follow in certain settings, built from evidence and guidelines.

Staff check guidelines or protocols first, before acting.

Why Is Evidence Based Care Used?

Outcomes improve when care is built on what works. This avoids treatments that do nothing or may cause harm. In the past, many medicines or support methods were used simply because “it’s always been done that way.” Sometimes, these caused harm or wasted effort.

Today, evidence based care means:

• Greater safety for people
• Fewer mistakes
• Better results
• More effective use of time and resources
• Fairer access to proven care

Families and the people receiving care have more trust when staff use proven methods.

Person Centred Care and Evidence

Each person is unique. While research may show what works for most people, workers must still check what matters to the individual.

For example, some people may value comfort over the chance of longer life. Others may have beliefs that affect their choices. Evidence based care allows for personal values to shape decisions, using facts as a base.

Examples Across Health and Social Care

Staff use evidence based care in every setting:

• Giving the correct dose of a medicine, using studies that have shown safe and useful ranges
• Preventing pressure ulcers, using guidelines based on trials with many different people
• Reducing infection in care homes, following research about clean hands and surfaces
• Supporting people with dementia, with activities that help their mood and memory, tested by researchers
• Encouraging exercise among older adults, knowing which forms of movement have benefits and few risks

This approach is not only for doctors or nurses—it applies across all of health and social care.

Challenges in Evidence Based Care

Not every question has a straight answer. Sometimes evidence is missing, weak, or incomplete. Pressure of time, lack of resources or training, or resistance to change can get in the way.

Other barriers include:

• Gaps between research and real-life situations
• Misunderstandings about new methods
• Personal beliefs and biases
• Resources or staff levels
• Information overload—too much to read or keep up with

Staff need support, training, and good leadership to use evidence based methods fully.

The Role of Audit and Feedback

Audit is a check on how closely care matches known best standards. Teams look at what is being done and match it to national or local guidelines.

This helps to spot:

• Areas where care could improve
• Gaps in training
• New safety risks
• Successes to share

Feedback sessions turn audit results into clear action.

Keeping Evidence up to Date

Medical knowledge changes over time. What was once seen as “best” may be replaced. For instance, infections used to be treated with antibiotics in situations where now, evidence shows rest and fluids may work better.

Care staff, organisations, and leaders all check for new research, updates to guidelines, and changes emerging from lessons learned.

Some ways to stay current:

• Attending training sessions
• Reading newsletters or bulletins
• Joining professional forums
• Using electronic care planning systems which flag up new guidance

The Care Certificate and Evidence Based Care

All workers new to health and social care in the UK must complete the Care Certificate. This sets out the standards and expectations for safe, caring, and evidence based practice.

This means even those new to care are trained to:

• Question why things are done a certain way
• Look up and use best practice guidance
• Respect each person’s ideas and wishes, using proof to guide choices

Legal and Regulatory Aspects

Following evidence based care protects staff and organisations from legal risks. The Health and Social Care Act expects workers to give care that is safe, suitable, and meets people’s needs, using relevant research and standards.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspects services against these standards.

The Role of Experience

While research is at the heart of evidence based care, it does not replace experience. Seasoned staff know what often works in real life.

A blend of:

• Published research
• Practical experience
• The person’s wishes

makes care both safe and human.

But, staff must check that experience matches what research shows. Traditions that are not supported by proof may need changing.

Involving People and Families

Evidence based care values the voices of those receiving support. They help set goals and choose between options based on facts and wishes. Informed consent means people are given evidence in a way they can understand, so they can choose what is right for them.

This includes:

• Giving plain, honest information
• Discussing risks and benefits
• Respecting decisions, even if they differ from usual practice (where safe and legal)
• Offering support to rethink or review choices over time

What About New Treatments or Approaches?

Sometimes, staff may wish to try new ways that have not yet been tested widely. In these cases, they must:

• Be clear with people about the limits of current knowledge
• Use careful monitoring
• Consider using new methods in formal research trials only, with full consent

Most innovations come from careful research and are only used in practice after proof builds up.

Balancing Risk and Benefit

Every choice in care carries risks and benefits. Evidence based care helps by:

• Highlighting what each choice can achieve
• Showing what side effects or dangers each option carries
• Offering real rates of success or harm, based on studies

This helps everyone make calm, informed choices.

The Role of Teamwork

Successful evidence based care depends on communication within teams. Different types of staff may each bring a piece of the picture. One person brings research knowledge, another brings day to day know-how, and the family member knows the person’s likes, needs, and worries.

Bringing these together leads to the safest, most effective help possible.

Electronic Records and Evidence Based Care

Digital care planning and records can boost the use of evidence by:

• Linking advice or “best practice” prompts to care actions
• Automatically flagging allergy risks or dose errors
• Making updates to care plans quick and easy

These systems help staff use evidence without needing to look up everything themselves each day.

Accountability and Reflective Practice

Staff are responsible for the care they give. Reflective practice means looking back at decisions to see if they were right, based on evidence and the outcome for the person.

Regular supervision, peer discussion, and appraisal ask:

• Did we do what the evidence said would work?
• Did it suit this person?
• Could something else have been better?

Continuous learning supports higher standards in all services.

Final Thoughts

Evidence based care is about giving the right help, to the right person, for the right reasons. By drawing on proof, matching it with experience, and respecting wishes, care staff support safer and better results for everyone.

This is now at the heart of high-quality support in all UK health and social care. It supports dignity, safety, and value for each individual, and gives staff a strong foundation to rely on every day.