DQ :Where in the World Is Evidence-Based Practice?
This is an audit, not an essay. You choose an organisation, say exactly where EBP does and does not appear on its site, and then report whether looking changed your view of it — a before-and-after most posts never write.
Editorial process
Last reviewed · August 18, 2026
Auditing an organisation's website for evidence of EBP
Treat this as fieldwork with a reporting format. The prompt asks for four things in order: a description of the site you reviewed, where EBP appears on it, whether the organisation's work is grounded in EBP and why, and finally whether what you found changed your perception. Choose the organisation with the fourth deliverable in mind, because the post has nowhere to go if you pick something whose commitment to evidence you already knew. An accrediting body, a reimbursing body such as a payer, or a national initiative will each give you different material, and a specialty association's site is often the most revealing because the gap between its guideline library and its advocacy pages is visible in a single visit. Be specific about location: mission statement, values page, guideline library, quality reports, position statements. "EBP appears throughout the website" is the sentence that tells a marker you skimmed.
The judgement half needs a standard, and supplying one is what separates the strong posts. Evidence of EBP is not the phrase evidence-based appearing on a page. Better indicators are whether guidelines cite sources and grade their strength, whether the organisation publishes outcome data, whether it says when a recommendation was last reviewed, and whether it distinguishes what evidence supports from what it merely permits. State two or three such indicators before you go looking, then report what you found against them, including absences — a site that uses the language of evidence with no citation trail is a genuine finding and an interesting one to write about. Then answer the perception question honestly. If nothing changed, say so and say why, because a manufactured conversion reads as invented and this is the one deliverable a marker can check against the rest of your post.
Likely learning objectives
- Define observable indicators of evidence-based practice before conducting the review.
- Locate EBP in specific sections of an organisational website rather than in general.
- Judge organisational grounding in EBP against stated criteria.
- Report a change of perception, or its absence, with a reason.
Assignment instructions
Read the full question
Review every instruction before using the planning guidance that follows.
NURS 5052 Discussion – Week 1 Module 1 DQ :Where in the World Is Evidence-Based Practice? March 21, 2010, was not EBP’s date of birth, but it may be the date the approach “grew up” and left home to take on the world. When the Affordable Care Act was passed, it came with a requirement of empirical evidence. Research on EBP increased significantly. Application of EBP spread to allied health professions, education, healthcare technology, and more. Health organizations began to adopt and promote EBP. In this Discussion, you will consider this adoption. You will examine healthcare organization websites and analyze to what extent these organizations use EBP. To Prepare: 1. Review the Resources and reflect on the definition and goal of EBP. 2. Choose a professional healthcare organization’s website (e.g., a reimbursing body, an accredited body, or a national initiative). 3. Explore the website to determine where and to what extent EBP is evident. By Day 3 of Week 1 Post a description of the healthcare organization website you reviewed. Describe where, if at all, EBP appears (e.g., the mission, vision, philosophy, and/or goals of the healthcare organization, or in other locations on the website). Then, explain whether this healthcare organization’s work is grounded in EBP and why or why not. Finally, explain whether the information you discovered on the healthcare organization’s website has changed your perception of the healthcare organization. Be specific and provide examples. By Day 6 of Week 1 Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days by visiting the websites they shared and offering additional examples of EBP or alternative views/interpretations to those shared in your colleagues’ posts. Click on the Reply button below to reveal the textbox for entering your message. Then click on the Submit button to post your message.
Turn the brief into deliverables
- 01A description of the organisation and the website you reviewed.
- 02Specific locations where EBP appears, named by page or section.
- 03A judgement about whether the organisation's work is grounded in EBP.
- 04The criteria you used to reach that judgement.
- 05An honest statement about whether your perception changed, and why.
Describe the site, locate EBP, then judge the grounding
Choosing the organisation and stating your criteria
Name the organisation and the indicators of EBP you will look for.
What the assessor is likely looking for
Indicators defined before the review rather than assembled afterwards.
Describing the site
Give the reader enough to picture the organisation's purpose and audience.
What the assessor is likely looking for
A description that explains why this organisation is worth auditing.
Where EBP appears, page by page
Report locations specifically, including where it is absent.
What the assessor is likely looking for
Named sections, and at least one place EBP was expected and missing.
Is the work grounded in EBP?
Answer the judgement question against the stated criteria.
What the assessor is likely looking for
A judgement traceable to the indicators set out at the start.
Did it change your perception?
Answer the before-and-after deliverable honestly.
What the assessor is likely looking for
A stated prior view, so the answer has something to be measured against.
Choosing an organisation whose site can actually be read
Recommended databases
- Cochrane Library
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
- NCBI Bookshelf
- Adelphi University Libraries
Search sequence
- 1.Read a definition of EBP first so your indicators are grounded in something citable.
- 2.Look at how a body that grades evidence presents its recommendations, as a benchmark.
- 3.Visit the chosen organisation's guideline or quality section before its mission page.
- 4.Record the URL of every page you cite so a classmate can follow the audit.
Reference shortlist
These are authoritative starting points, not a ready-made bibliography. A qualified reviewer must confirm that each source fits the assignment and supports the claim beside which it is cited.
Evidence-Based Medicine
StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf · 2024
A definition of evidence-based medicine to anchor the indicators you audit against.
About Cochrane Reviews
Cochrane Library · 2024
How an evidence organisation describes its own methods — a benchmark for what a grounded site looks like.
Levels of Evidence — Evidence-Based Practice Research in Nursing
Adelphi University Libraries · 2024
The levels of evidence, for judging whether a site's guidelines grade their support.
Patient Safety Indicators
AHRQ Patient Safety Network (PSNet) · 2023
An example of a national body publishing measurable indicators rather than claims.
Nursing Professional Development Evidence-Based Practice
StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf · 2023
Evidence-based practice in nursing professional development, for the organisational adoption angle.
Review before submission
Common mistakes
- Writing 'EBP appears throughout the site' instead of naming pages.
- Treating the phrase 'evidence-based' as proof of evidence-based practice.
- Choosing an organisation whose answer you already knew, leaving the fourth deliverable empty.
- Inventing a change of perception because the prompt seems to expect one.
Submission checklist
- Have you named specific pages or sections rather than the site as a whole?
- Did you state your indicators before reporting what you found?
- Have you reported an absence as well as a presence?
- Is your perception answer honest, including if nothing changed?
- Would a classmate be able to visit the same pages from your description?
Use this guide to plan and review your own work. Follow your institution's rules and read Brinevia's academic-integrity policy.
Written by
Maren Caldwell
MSN, RN, CNE
Medical-surgical nursing, pharmacology and NCLEX preparation
Maren is a registered nurse with over 15 years of clinical and educational experience in medical-surgical nursing. She writes on NCLEX preparation, patient care fundamentals, pharmacology and evidence-based practice.
Reviewed by
Dr. Tessa Redmond
DNP, RN, CNE
Evidence-based practice and clinical education
Tessa is a doctorally-prepared nurse educator. She reviews Brinevia content for clinical accuracy and alignment with current evidence-based guidelines.