Evidence-based practice is "the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of the individual patient. It means integrating individual clinical expertise with the best available external clinical evidence from systematic research" (Sackett, et al. 1996).
Basically, it is using a systematic method for collecting information on a problem (through controlled studies, for example) and applying these findings to improve patient outcomes in your practice. The video below explains the basics:
For a more in-depth look at Evidence Based Medicine, check out this tutorial made by Duke Health. It covers an overview of EBP, patient-driven questions you should be asking, and assessment of outcomes.
You will come across many different types of studies in your research - but what does it all mean? This pyramid of the different levels of evidence is meant to show how evidence increases in quality (that is to say it has undergone vetting, verification, and reproduction through a controlled process) as it goes up the levels of review. However, this is inversely proportional to how much of the information we have. The bottom of the pyramid is wide because there are lots of sources that share "expert opinions," whereas there are less systematic reviews that have reviewed many Randomized Controlled Trials and made a synthesis of scholarship because this takes time, money, and personnel. The more studies you can find with the evidence at the top of the pyramid, the stronger your assignments, arguments, and decisions will be.
The video below briefly explains the different types of evidence you can find, evaluate, and use when making decisions in your medical practice.