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The politics of the evidencebased practice movements

Legacies and current challenges

In the United Kingdom the election of the Labour government in 1997 signalled the arrival of evidence-based policy making based on a philosophy of ‘what counts is what works’. Mirroring the emphasis on evidence-based policy-making has been a concern about encouraging the use of evidence in practice. As an ideology it has penetrated the consciousness, discourse and working practices of professionals. However, despite the apparent engagement with evidence-based approaches to care, there remain a number of key areas that stimulate discussion and warrant debate. This discussion paper highlights some of these issues and considers their implications. Specifically, the political context of the evidence-based movements is considered and the resulting consequences outlined. These include issues about how nursing has signed up to evidence-based practice, the way in which evidence is conceptualised and the continuing gap between evidence and practice. Finally, a number of issues are presented that need to be tackled if there is a genuine desire to improve the evidence base and increase its influence on policy and practice.

Key Words: Evidence-based practice • evidence • policy • politics

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