Table 1.

The Five Basic Skills Needed to Apply the Evidence-Based Decision-Making Model

1. ASK	Ability to convert information needs/problems into clinical questions so that they can be answered.
2. ACCESS	Ability to search and select relevant scientific literature with maximum efficiency for accessing the best external evidence with which to answer the question.
3. APPRAISE	Ability to critically appraise the available evidence for its validity and usefulness, as well as its clinical applicability within the patient/clinician/setting context.
4. APPLY	Ability to effectively apply the results of the appraisal, or evidence, in clinical practice, using the best of the clinician’s technical performance.
5. ASSESS	Ability to assess the process and your performance based on appropriate assessment of treatment outcomes.

Note: Data from Straus et al.2