Evidence-based practice in speech-language pathology: scaling up.
Evidence-based practice is a process to which clinical professionals adhere when making decisions concerning the assessment or treatment of a given condition. Within the field of speech-language pathology, it is increasingly advocated as best practice. As our profession seeks to transform itself from one that is primarily craft-based to one that relies on evidence-based processes, it must develop and implement a series of structures that will foster this transformation. This article describes three specific structures that are increasingly available within the field of speech-language pathology in the United States to guide transformation of the profession: systematic reviews and meta-analyses, treatment studies, and clearinghouses. Without these structural supports, it is unlikely that evidence-based practice can be scaled up in a way that has positive impacts on practice.
Justice
Laura M
LM
Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA. justice.57@osu.edu
D003147:Communication Disorders / Q000628:therapy; D016206:Databases, Bibliographic; D055317:Evidence-Based Practice / Q000639:trends*; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000639:trends; D012106:Research / Q000639:trends; D012196:Review Literature as Topic; D013066:Speech-Language Pathology / Q000639:trends*; D014481:United States