Deck 1: Introduction to Evidence-Based Practice

Question 1

Which of the following statements is/are true about the use of research in practice before the emergence of EBP?

A) Nobody believed that research findings should guide practice decisions.
B) Some studies concluded that one of the most important factors influencing service effectiveness is the quality of the practitioner-client relationship.
C) Everyone believed that practice experience alone was a sufficient basis to guide practice decisions.
D) No studies had questioned the effectiveness of psychotherapy or other forms of human service.
E) All of the above.

Answer 1

Some studies concluded that one of the most important factors influencing service effectiveness is the quality of the practitioner-client relationship.

Question 2

Which of the following statements is true about prior research on practitioner effectiveness?

A) It can be influenced by the type of intervention employed as well as practitioner-client relationship factors.
B) All the credible evidence shows that it is influenced only by the type of intervention employed.
C) All the credible evidence shows that it is influenced only by the quality of the practitioner-client relationship.
D) None of the above.

Answer 2

It can be influenced by the type of intervention employed as well as practitioner-client relationship factors.

Question 3

According to its current and most widely accepted definition, EBP decisions should be based on which of the following components?

A) Practitioner judgment.
B) Client values and preferences.
C) The best available scientific evidence.
D) All of the above.

Answer 3

All of the above.

Question 4

Which of the following statements is NOT correct?

A) Evidence-based practitioners should adhere to a list of approved interventions.
B) Evidence-based practitioners should critically appraise emerging scientific evidence.
C) Evidence-based practitioners should integrate the best evidence with their practice expertise and client values and preferences.
D) None of the above. (That is, all of the above statements are correct.)
E) All of the above. (That is, all of the above statements are incorrect.)

Question 5

EBP decisions about which intervention to provide should be made in light of:

A) the most rigorous scientific evidence available.
B) the practitioner's practice expertise.
C) client attributes, values preferences, and circumstances.
D) All of the above.

Question 6

Which of the following statements is/are true about the EBP process?

A) Knowing that the selected intervention has the best scientific evidence from prior studies removes the need to monitor client progress with the selected intervention.
B) Once the intervention with the best scientific evidence is chosen, the practitioner should stick with it regardless of his or her observations of client progress.
C) If the intervention supported by the best evidence does not appear to be effective with a particular client, the practitioner should consider replacing it with an alternative intervention even if it has less scientific support from earlier studies.
D) Both a and b are true.

Question 7

Which of the following statements is true about EBP decisions?

A) They are limited to questions about the effectiveness of specific interventions.
B) They might pertain to evidence about client needs.
C) They might pertain to what measures to use in assessment and diagnosis.
D) Both b and c are true.

Question 8

An EBP outlook involves:

A) conforming to what esteemed practitioners advise about practice and how to intervene.
B) disrespecting the practice wisdom of more experienced practitioner authorities.
C) being vigilant in trying to recognize the unfounded beliefs and assumptions in the testimonials from esteemed practitioner authorities.
D) None of the above.

Question 9

Which of the following statements is/are true about searching for, finding, or using the best scientific evidence to guide practice decisions?

A) It can be time consuming.
B) The best evidence may not easily guide your practice decisions.
C) Sometimes equally strong studies reach conflicting conclusions.
D) All of the above.

Question 10

If you can't find highly rigorous evidence supporting the effectiveness of an intervention with clients just like yours, you should;

A) look for less rigorous evaluations that have involved clients like yours and which-while not offering the "best" evidence from a scientific standpoint-are not fatally flawed and thus offer some credible evidence supporting a particular intervention.
B) use your practice judgment in deciding whether an intervention supported by the best evidence with clients unlike yours seems to be worth proposing to your client.
C) Both a and b are correct.
D) Neither a nor b is correct.

Question 11

Which of the following is an EBP question?

A) What type of play therapy is most effective with traumatized children?
B) What client and therapist characteristics best predict the quality of the therapist-client relationship?
C) What is it like to sleep in a shelter for the homeless?
D) What existing measurement instrument is the most valid for diagnosing whether a client has PTSD?
E) All of the above.

Question 12

When considering using an assessment instrument, the practitioner should ask whether it is:

A) reliable.
B) valid.
C) sensitive.
D) feasible.
E) All of the above.

Question 13

The main ideas underlying EBP are really quite old.

Question 14

Many studies lack credibility due to fatal flaws in their research designs and methods.

Question 15

Some studies have found that practitioner effectiveness is influenced by the type of intervention employed as well as relationship factors.

Question 16

EBP is primarily a cost-cutting tool used by third-party payers that involves a rigid decision-tree approach to making intervention choices irrespective of clinical judgment.

Question 17

EBP is primarily a static list of interventions that have a "seal of approval" and thus should be provided by practitioners regardless of what practitioners know about client idiosyncrasies.

Question 18

Almost all past reviews of research on the effectiveness of psychotherapy have agreed that it is overall very effective.

Question 19

Although following the EBP process makes a practitioner more scientific, it risks making them less ethical.

Question 20

Worrying about scientific evidence makes practitioners less compassionate.

Question 21

Engaging in the EBP process requires rejecting the dodo bird argument.

Question 22

EBP questions might ask about costs or harmful effects of an intervention, program, or policy.

Question 23

Contrast EBP with authority-based practice.

Question 24

Explain why EBP is not a mechanistic, cookbook process.

Question 25

Explain why engaging in EBP makes one a more ethical and compassionate practitioner.

Question 26

Describe what a practitioner should do when he or she cannot find the best evidence supporting the effectiveness of an intervention for a particular client.

Question 27

Describe the criteria you would use in selecting an assessment instrument.