Evidence based practice: an introduction and application for radiation therapy practice

Abstract

Radiation therapists, as professionals, need to maintain personal knowledge and inform organisational best practice according to latest international research. Evidence based practice is well established in health care and has a defined methodological process for locating, appraising and applying the best available evidence to clinical practice. Conducting a comprehensive search of published research to find the best evidence requires the appropriate skills and resources, including time. Radiation therapists in clinical practice may be limited in one or more of these areas. Systematic reviews and evidence based clinical practice guidelines provide systematically developed recommendations for clinical practice and further research. Radiation therapists can retrieve this higher level evidence even with limited access to resources. This paper provides some practical tips for applying evidence based practice in radiation therapy.