Analysis of Evidence Based Management

Introduction

Evidence Based Practice (EBP) is defined as the use of conscious, explicit and judicious use of current and updated evidence in making decisions in the care of individual patients. The EBP aims to combine the experience of methodologically health professional with the most current information on the clinical situation it faces. The evidence based practice represents a new model of clinical practice where the decisions of the physician must remain be in integration between his experience and explicit use of the best evidence scientifically to achieve the accuracy of diagnostic tests, the power of prognostic factors, the efficacy, safety of preventive treatments. In other words, the EBP is a process of self-study in which the doctor converts the need of information in well defined clinical questions, searching the best available evidence and, after evaluating critically the validity and clinical applicability, uses them to his professional activities (Ferlie, 96-102).

What is evidence-based management?

As mentioned by Jeffrey Pfeffer, the current studies have shown that only about 15% of the decisions are based on evidence. For the doctors especially, their decisions are mostly depends on the knowledge they gained in school, the long-standing but never proven traditions, patterns that are gleaned from the experience, the methods which they believe in and are most skilled in terms of applying and the information from hordes of vendors with the services they sell and products (Pfeffer, pp 7-89).

Implications of Evidence Based Practice in Health and Social Care

In order to make better decisions, it is important to propose a useful method to select and use the vast amount of information available in the organizations as a result of the development of new technologies of information and communication. The "evidence based management" originates in medical practice, particularly in the so-called evidence-based medicine and applied in four steps: formulation of appropriate questions, selective search for evidence, and critical appraisal of the evidence and application of evidence (Fineout, 335-344). It is a tool to help companies create the structures of learning organizations and knowledge management, the most valuable resource for organizations in the new information society and digital economy.

The advantage of evidence based practice in healthcare settings is obvious which is that the young professionals can make better decisions despite the lack of enough years in clinical practice. EBP offers a method in clinical practice independent of theoretical inclinations.

EBP has become a method to solve the medical problems that a doctor confronts in his daily practice. But when viewing the medical literature today, there are more and more works published by nurses and other caregivers. This means then that this method should no longer be confined only to doctors and surgeons. EBP is a working method appropriate for any caregiver who wants to develop care research and improve their professional practice (Nutley, pp 34-56).

In their aforementioned book, Pfeffer and Sutton (2006) show, by means of the cases verses, how evidence-based management can strengthen the powers and the performance of businesses and help them succeed on ...