A Crosswalk Analysis of Commonly Used Evidence-Based Practice Models

This article aimed to critically analyse three frequently used evidence-based practice models to determine similarities and differences in their process steps, terminology, tools and implementation models.

Evidence-based practice is an essential competency taught across academic nursing curriculums to prepare nurses for problem solving throughout their career in clinical practice.

A crosswalk analysis was used to compare and contrast the Advancing Research and Clinical Practice Through Close Collaboration (ARCC) Model, the Iowa Model and the Johns Hopkins Evidence-Based Practice (JHEBP) Model.

Findings suggest that although these models contain similar principles, there are differences in terminology and process steps (both alignment and emphasis), leading to a lack of congruence.

Differences in terminology may be confusing to both novice and experienced users of the evidence-based practice process. We suggest that educational and clinical settings adopt a primary evidence-based practice model to use throughout their organization, in addition to purposefully creating awareness of the variety of other models and resources available, including their similarities and differences.