 As a practicing nurse or health professional, you'll need to know about evidence-based medicine and recognize where information falls on the spectrum of evidence-based, in addition to likely using evidence-based practice in class projects. As a review, what is evidence-based practice? There are three main elements. The first is research. What do the research articles or studies say about best practices for addressing or treating a disease or condition? The second element are patients and includes their values and preferences. And the third element is the clinician taking into account their experiences and judgment. There are many levels of evidence in research based on how rigorous a study is. The studies become more rigorous and reliable or use the highest level of evidence as you move up the evidence pyramid, from case studies to randomized control trials to systematic reviews. Some things that are not evidence-based are information from websites such as Healthline, The Mayo, or Cleveland Clinics. The information on these types of websites is sometimes produced by doctors or other working in healthcare, but is geared toward the general public and non-health practitioners and has not been reviewed extensively enough to be considered based on the best-established evidence. How can you use evidence-based practice? If you need to find information about a condition or learn about suggested treatments, you can look up research that has been officially reviewed by experts and meet specific criteria. Nursing Reference Center Plus, through the library website, is often a good place to start. Many of the articles are a summary of best practices and represent evidence-based medicine. The CINOL database, also through the library website, is a good option for more in-depth research. Not all the articles will be research papers, but you can evaluate them to choose the best options or limit your results to only academic journals. For example, let's say you're researching osteoporosis for a presentation to senior citizens. Looking up resources in Nursing Reference Center Plus will help you find evidence-based sources for your presentation, so you can be more confident in the information you share with your audience. If you need help finding sources or with research help in general, you can always ask a librarian. Go to library.usu.edu and click on Meet with a Librarian for more information.