Evidence-based practice: a primer for action

Although evidence-based practice (EBP) began as a challenge to the medical profession in the early 1970s, the concept has since been embraced by nursing and other health care professions. Although it is clear that the process of placing evidence into practice will continue to be refined, the mandate to do so is clear. The purpose of this article is to present a brief history of the definition of EBP, describe some of the more well-known models of knowledge translation, discuss some of the commonly agreed-upon steps in the EBP process, and present some resources that might be useful for readers.