ENABLING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF EVIDENCE BASED PRACTICE - A CONCEPTUAL-FRAMEWORK

The argument put forward in this paper is that successful implementati on of research into practice is a function of the interplay of three c ore elements-the level and nature of the evidence, the context or envi ronment into which the research is to be placed, and the method or way in which the process is facilitated. It also proposes that because cu rrent research is inconclusive as to which of these elements is most i mportant in successful implementation they all should have equal stand ing. This is contrary to the often implicit assumptions currently bein g generated within the clinical effectiveness agenda where the level a nd rigour of the evidence seems to be the most important fatter for co nsideration. The paper offers a conceptual framework that considers th is imbalance, showing how it might work in clarifying some of the theo retical positions and as a checklist far staff to assess what they nee d to do to successfully implement research into practice.