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HELM Open Evidence‑Based Practice (EBP) Collection

This curated collection brings together a comprehensive set of Reusable Learning Objects (RLOs) designed to support learners developing skills in evidence‑based practice across health, clinical, and research settings. The resources introduce key principles of EBP, explore major research designs, and guide users in interpreting, critiquing, and applying research evidence in practice.

Covering both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, the collection includes foundational topics such as asking clinical questions using PICO, understanding study types (including cohort, case‑control, case series, and RCTs), and interpreting core statistical concepts like confidence intervals, sensitivity and specificity, and NNT/NNH. Learners are also introduced to meta‑analysis, surrogate outcomes, and strategies for effective research critique.

Alongside research methods, the collection features resources supporting academic development such as understanding journals and qualitative data analysis. This makes it suitable for students, educators, and practitioners seeking to strengthen their evidence appraisal and decision‑making skills.

Together, these RLOs provide an accessible and interactive pathway into the core components of evidence‑based practice, enabling learners to confidently locate, interpret, and apply high‑quality evidence to real‑world healthcare scenarios.

Asking the right question

This RLO outlines why asking the right question can help in the search for evidence, and explains how to construct good questions using the PICO technique.

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Case series and cross-sectional studies

Case series typically involve a much smaller number of patients than the more powerful case-control study or Randomised controlled trial (RCT). In this design patients with a known exposure to a treatment are tracked prospectively to identify new forms of disease or adverse effects. Case series can also be retrospective - here medical records are examined to identify a link between exposure and disease.

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Cohort and case-controlled studies

This RLO explains what are case-control and cohort studies, and outlines the difference between them.

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Cohort Studies

This resource looks at cohort studies in relation to medical research and investigates medical disease and establishes links between risk factors and health outcomes.

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Confidence intervals

This RLO defines the term 'confidence intervals' and demonstrates how they can be used to determine the significance and range of possible sizes of a treatment effect.

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Meta-analysis

This RLO provides an introduction to the basic concepts of meta-analysis, which is an important and valuable tool for summarising data from multiple studies.

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Numbers needed to treat and numbers needed to harm

This RLO considers how to measure and interpret the magnitude of effect in clinical trial results using number needed to treat (NNT) and number needed to harm (NNH).

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Qualitative and quantitative research

Outlining the distinction between qualitative and quantitative methods of doing research.

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Qualitative Data Analysis

The aim of this Reusable Learning Object (RLO) is to give you an idea of how qualitative data analysis is done. It's aimed at students studying evidence based practice or research methods, with a basic understanding of what qualitative research is.

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Sensitivity and Specificity

This RLO explains how diagnostic test accuracy is described by the terms sensitivity and specificity. Sensitivity describes the accuracy of the test in detecting disease. Specificity describes the accuracy of the test in detecting health.

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Surrogate Outcomes

This RLO considers the type of evidence which should be used when making decisions about patient care.

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Types of qualitative research

This RLO outlines the variety of types of qualitative research that there are. It's aimed primarily at students studying evidence based practice and research methods.

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What are Journals?

This learning object introduces educational journals and describes three types: Academic, Professional and Subject. The examples used are drawn from the area of nursing, but the concepts are cross-discipline.

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What is a randomised controlled trial?

This RLO outlines how Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) work.

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What is Evidence Based Practice?

This RLO introduces the concept of evidence based practice and explains, in outline, how evidence based practice is done.

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Why critique research?

Why published research needs to be appraised by readers.

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