Should Clinicians Use Evidence based Practice

Evidence-Based Practices When Working With Clients
Evidence-based practice is a concept that emerged in the field of medicine to help lessen mistakes or errors during treatment. This concept seeks to do so through ensuring clinical decisions are grounded on the best available research evidence. Since its emergence, the concept of evidence-based practice has become common in the medical field and is constantly used to help improve patient outcomes. The tremendous success of this concept in medicine is attributable to its integration of the best available research evidence, clinical judgment and expertise, and patient preferences and values.

Given its success in the field of medicine, evidence-based practice is being imported into the field of psychology (Lilienfeld, 2014). This trend emerges from the need for clinicians to utilize the most suitable and effective mechanisms to improve their clients' outcomes. Current evidence postulates that utilizing interventions that have been shown to work with certain symptomology is optimal. However, clinicians experience difficulties in implementing and working from an evidence-based model. Since clinicians face a hard time in implementing and working from an evidence-based model, there are concerns on whether these practitioners should use evidence-based practices when working with clients.

Despite the difficulties they experience in working from an evidence-based model, clinicians should use evidence-based practices when working with clients. Working from an evidence-based model is not only an essential step in the right direction but also a crucial component that has proven effective in reducing errors in clinical judgment. Since inception, evidence-based practice enhances the likelihood that clients will obtain suitable treatments. This is largely because such a model constrains clinical selections and judgments to interventions that are supported by research and shown to be effective for the specific condition. As evidence-based practice lessens errors in clinical judgment it reduces the likelihood that clients will be subjected to ineffective or harmful treatment.

The case for clinicians to use evidence-based practice when working with clients is supported by the fact that it's been found effective in the treatment of serious mental illness (Rosenberg & Rosenberg, 2013, p.197). The effectiveness of this intervention measure in treatment of serious mental illness, which makes it suitable for clinicians to use when working with clients, emerges from its dual focus on the client and environment. Through this method, clinicians deliver necessary treatment to clients based on interventions that have been proven effective or suitable for the condition.

Actually, the field of psychology has been characterized by increased attention on the significance of basing service delivery and practice on research evidence in order to meet clients' needs effectively. Evidence-based practice is not only an answer to this concern but also a means through which clinicians will utilize integrated treatment to deal with clients' problems. Therefore, evidence-based practice is the most suitable approach for delivery of clinical intervention since it enables the practitioner to utilize an effective intervention in addressing clients' needs or dealing with clients' problems.

While evidence-based practice has been shown effective in lessening errors in clinical judgment, it does not address all concerns regarding policy and practice (Mullen & Streiner, 2004, p.112). Nonetheless, the role of this approach in helping improve clinical outcomes cannot be underestimated because of the significance of research evidence in clinical practice. Therefore, clinical must ensure that their use of this approach when working with clients is based on evidence and practice as well as understand that it does not address all questions in clinical practice though it helps lessen errors.

References

Lilienfeld, S. (2014, January 27). Evidence-Based Practice: The Misunderstandings Continue. Retrieved August 7, 2016, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-skeptical-psychologist/201401/evidence-based-practice-the-misunderstandings-continue

Mullen, E.J. & Streiner, D.L. (2004).The Evidence For and Against Evidence-Based Practice. Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention, 4(2), 111-121.

Rosenberg, J. & Rosenberg, S.J. (2013). Community mental health: challenges for the 21st Century (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.