Michelle’s Weblog

Date: 9/3/08

Source:

Nail-Chiwetalu, B., & Ratner, N. B. (2006, July). Information literacy for speech-language pathologists: A key to evidence based practice. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 37, 157-167. Retrieved May 15, 2008, from the ASHA website (http://asha.org).

Purpose:

This article is written to show SLP’s as well as other professionals that there is a link between evidence-based practice and being information literate. It is written to show you that in order to be information literate you need to use evidence based practice, and it also gives you examples of how you can accomplish this. It also wants to make you aware that EBP is not widely being used by the professionals to become information literate.

Key Question:

What is the best way to get SLP’s to realize that using evidence based practice is the best way to be information literate, and what suggestions can be given to help them with this goal?

Information:

The authors state:“Steps in implementing EBP might include the following for a given clinical problem, as Sackett (2000) noted: First the clinician must pose a clear and concrete question.” “Next, the clinician should search the literature”, and “The third step of EBP requires the clinician to critically evaluate the information that was obtained.”Then the authors go on to show you the similarities between Evidence-based practice and Information literacy.“IL is defined by the American Library Association (ALA) as “a set of abilities requiring individuals to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information”. “In short, the goal of higher education is to create lifelong learners. In this day and age, characterized by the information explosion and rapid technological advances , the development of skills in finding appropriate information is critical in many areas of life.”These statements help show that EBP and IL go together and are similar. People that are looking to be information literate have to look at the best information that is proven to help them know what the best and newest ideas are so they have to use the evidence based practice. The last quote listed above shows that it is especially important to stay information literate because of how fast things are changing.

In the research that this article looked up in used it also found some interesting facts of how SLP as well as other professionals do not rely on evidence-based practice but instead they relied on coworkers. When talking about how almost everyone agrees that EBP is good and needs to be used the article also stated that “there does appear to be some degree of disconnect between this rapidly emerging and emphasized principle and actual clinical behavior.”

Inferences/conclusions:

When one is looking to be information literate they need to use the evidence-based practice to find the newest and current information. There also needs to be something done with motivation, because it has been shown that most people do not go the the evidence based practice first. IL and using EBP is trying to be implemented in schools so that the new graduates will have experience with it, but it is not helping them use it when they graduate.

Concept(s):

Need to implement EBP more in schools. (They want to find someway that EBP and IL can be implemented in schools and universities so that it will encourage students to use it later on in their careers.) And that there is a need to find someway to get SLP’s in the field to look at the EBP instead of just the general Internet. (It was shown in this article that EBP wasn’t used by many of the different professions like it should be so the professionals need to be aware and watch where they are getting most of their information from.)

Assumption(s):

That you know what EBP is. That you yourself know that SLP’s, Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, and other medical professions have to have continued education. That you know what the Internet is as well as the different types of search engines and databases that she mentions and uses in the article.

Implications:

If everyone were to follow what the authors says in the article they would become familiar with the practice of using EBP and they would be up to date on all of the current information that there is for their field allowing them to provide the best care for their clients and patients. If they do not take the article seriously they will continue on not using EBP to become information literate and they could not be up to date on certain procedures and methods.

Point(s) of view:

 The author is looking at EBP and IL and shows how they are related, and they also show that EBP is not being used. By looking at this article you can tell that they do not like that it is not being used, and that they think that it should be implemented more in schools and after graduation in the professional fields. One way that show this is by giving all of the examples of how to accomplish the goals of implementing EBP.