This page is designed to answer the following questions:
- 5.2 Use evidence-based research to identify best practice in outcome-based and person-centred approaches (Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Adult Care, Person-centred Practice for Positive Outcomes)
NOTE: This page has been quality assured for 2023 as per our Quality Assurance policy.
Dawes et al define evidence-based practice as:
‘Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) requires that decisions about health care are based on the best available, current, valid and relevant evidence. These decisions should be made by those receiving care, informed by the tacit and explicit knowledge of those providing care, within the context of available resources’
https://bmcmededuc.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1472-6920-5-1
For this assessment criterion, you will be required to research up-to-date, reliable literature and/or other publications relevant to your area of study to establish at least three examples of best practice that supports outcome-based and person-centred approaches to health and social care.
The Internet is a platform that allows anyone to publish their work, so you should be aware that there may be a different agenda behind some of the information you find. Therefore, the sources that you use must be authoritative and trustworthy. Examples of good sources of information include government publications, NHS publications, Skills for Health/Care, SCIE, peer-reviewed research etc.
All decisions that you make and actions that you take relating to health and care should be backed up by strong evidence. This enables you to ensure the best possible outcomes for service users, be accountable for your practice and be able to justify what you do. You should also promote the use of EBP to others within your organisation.
The Health Foundation’s ‘Helping Measure Person-Centred Care‘ (2014) provides references to a large number of trustworthy studies and research about person-centred care – you may wish to use these in your own research.
Similarly, SCIE’s ‘Outcomes-focused services for older people‘ (2006) brings together a lot of research into the outcomes that are valued by older individuals.
You may also decide to search for literature reviews relating to an area that is relevant to your own practice to gather evidence to inform your organisation’s practice.