Evidence Based Practice

Prerequisites

• None

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• To teach to an advanced standard the principles and skills of evidence based practice required for effective clinical and policy engagement, strongly encouraged by the Department of Health and the regulating bodies. It meets specific requirements for the continuing registration of mental health practitioners.

Content

• Introduction and overview
• Evidence forms: prognosis, diagnosis, intervention, implementation
• Evidence syntheses: programme health technology assessment, guidelines, needs assessment
• Evidence applications: Talking treatments, Social approaches
• Evidence and management: Supervising EBP, evaluating EBP and outcomes for service users

Learning OutcomesSubject-specific Knowledge:

• By the end of module students will have developed:
• An advanced knowledge and critical understanding of types and uses of evidence in health and social contexts
• An appreciation of the personal, social and political contexts in which evidence is used and managed. This will include the role of perspective, ownership and narrative.

Subject-specific Skills:

• Students will have gained skills in:
• An ability to communicate and inform about evidence-based concepts and particulars
• Mental health assessment, interventions and evaluations including the key involvement of service users and their support networks
• Skills requirements for continued professional registration (MSc Mental Health).

Key Skills:

• The capacity for sustained independent work and learning at an advanced level and the ability to learn through reflection on practice and experience;
• The ability to think independently, including problem-solving ability and the ability to discriminate and use judgement;
• The ability to organise data, abstract meaning from information and share knowledge at an advanced level;
• The ability to communicate effectively across specialised subject and professional areas;
• The ability to work effectively in inter-professional and inter agency contexts and to critically assess the relevance and validity of others’ views, contributions to care planning and service delivery.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Lecturing - Will explain the concepts and contexts of evidence-based practice - By examples and illustrations will examine the validity of underlying principles and applications in evidence-based practice.
• Tutorials and seminars - Promote in-depth learning by directing students to work through concepts in more detail, providing both teacher and peer led input, promoting discussion and developing interprofessional communication and working skills.
• Structured reading - Promote in-depth learning by directing students to pursue topics in greater detail enabling both familiarity with key texts and a deeper understanding of the subject and context.
• Independent study, research and analysis - Promote in-depth learning allowing student to develop focussed understanding by pursuing aspects of the module that are of special interest to themselves and exploring specific applications in their field of study. It will provide the potential ground work for a final dissertation.
• Work book assessment will allow students to demonstrate understanding and skills in research design and management and to evaluate the use of various pieces of evidence in furtherance of their own evidence based practice.
• The reflective case study will assess students' ability to reflectively analyse the strengths and weaknesses of particular practices. The work book will both deepen students' ability in designing and evaluating interventions and will allow assessment of their progress in doing so.

Lectures - 10 weekly @ 1 hr = 10hrs

Tutorial/seminars - 10weekly @ 1 hr = 10hrs

Structured Reading - 10 sets weekly @ 3 hrs = 30hrs

Library researching/Independent study - Student initiated Student determined = 100hrs

Total Hours = 150

Summative Assignment:  Workbook as required = 40% and Assignment reflective case study @ 1500 = 60%

Formative Assessment:  All assessment formats are first encountered formatively in tutorials.