The evolution of clinical neuropsychological practices: Toward an evidence-based practice?
Type de matériel :
5
Having undergone major developments over the last thirty years, clinical neuropsychology now faces new economic and legislative constraints, which require a reconsideration of the practice by including it in a systematic evaluation of both its usefulness and its effectiveness. The core challenge is to demonstrate the legitimacy of neuropsychological interventions by clearly identifying the benefits of these interventions for patients, for those responsible for the implementation of health policies, and for organizations that bear their costs. It is by adopting an evidence-based clinical neuropsychological practice (EBCNP), which incorporates the best research outcomes, clinical expertise, unique characteristics of the patient, and the special concerns and needs of referral sources that clinical neuropsychology will likely meet these requirements. In this article, various elements of reflection on an EBCNP are presented. We first define what evidence-based practice is, and what the differences between evidence-based practice and empirically-based treatment are. Second, the different steps involved in the implementation of such practice are presented. We highlight in particular the need for clinicians to carefully evaluate the patient’s complaints and convert these into clinical answerable questions. We then discuss the main issues surrounding the implementation of an evidence-based practice, focusing in particular on two important questions: (1) how data from research outcomes should be presented in such a way that they can be directly used by clinicians, and (2) where to find evidence from research outcomes. The final part of the article discusses the benefits of an EBCNP from a broad perspective of the evolution of clinical neuropsychology.
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