Applying knowledge
It is important to understand that the information literacy skills that you have developed so far will help you find research and evidence that can inform practice. What's the point of finding useful information, only to file it away and/or do nothing with it? The knowledge from this information should be shared and used.
Considerations when applying knowledge or research to practice:
- Who are your service users? Think about age, ethnicity, gender, family relationships.
- What are the issues involved? For example, learning disabilities, mental health problems.
- What interventions are involved?
- What were the outcomes?
- How does your practice compare to the context of the research you have found? Think about policy and legislative differences, environmental differences and range of professions involved.
- Can you act on the evidence? Is there a way to change practice in light of the research?
If you would like to learn more about applying your research to practice, IRISS's Confidence Through Evidence Toolkit will guide you.
