In 1998 McKibbon defined Evidence Based Practice is as "an approach to health care wherein health professionals use the best evidence possible, i.e., the most appropriate information, to make clinical decisions for individuals".
Evidence-based practice (EBP) is the amalgamation of research evidence, experience and expertise, and patient preferences in the process of clinical patient care. Clinicians bring collected experience, while patients describe personal values and past encounters. These two aspects are combined with clinically relevant research that has been proven with comprehensive methodology to develop the most optimal outcome in the patient’s care process and overall quality of life. EBP can be incorporated into various fields such as medicine, nursing, psychology, and allied health. Patients typically prompt EBP by asking questions regarding things like the purpose of diagnostics, the effect of certain therapies, disease prognosis, and the historical relevance of diseases (Salem Press Encyclopedia, 2016).