The "gold standard" in healthcare research refers to the most accurate and reliable test, treatment, or method available for diagnosing or managing a condition. It is the benchmark against which new tests, treatments, or procedures are compared.
A gold standard is based on substantial evidence, expert consensus, and clinical validation but can change as new research emerges.
Sometimes, a true gold standard may not exist, and researchers must rely on the best available alternative.
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When searching for evidence to answer a clinical question, you need to understand the levels of research evidence available. In general, best practice states that you should search for the highest quality of evidence as this means that the information used is accurate, trustworthy, and founded in sound research methods. In healthcare, there are two broad categories of evidence - primary and secondary.
This can also be called filtered information and includes analyses, syntheses, interpretations, commentaries, and evaluations of original research studies. Secondary information refers to research that has been critically assessed, summarised, and synthesised to provide high-quality evidence to support decision-making. This is considered to be the highest quality of evidence.
You can find this kind of evidence in specialised EBP resources such as the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, part of the Cochrane Library, or the JBI EBP Database, or in more general health & medical databases such as CINAHL, PubMed, or PsycINFO.
To learn more about the databases that are specific to your area of study, visit the Search the databases section of your discipline-specific libguide.
This is also known as unfiltered information and includes original analysis and data from original research studies. No external analysis, evaluation, or appraisal has been applied to these resources.
Evidence can be ranked according to its quality. The evidence pyramid shows different types of evidence according to their methodological strength, with the most reliable evidence at the top. The further down the pyramid, the lower the quality of evidence. Unless you have been instructed otherwise, you should try to find the highest level of evidence related to your search topic.
EBM pyramid and EBM page generator. © 2006 Trustees of Dartmouth College and Yale University. All rights reserved. Produced by Jan Glover, David Izzo, Karen Odato, and Lei Wang.
While the evidence pyramid focuses on research studies, healthcare professionals often rely on additional resources that synthesise and apply evidence to real-world practice. These include clinical practice guidelines, clinical procedures, and factsheets, which help bridge the gap between research and decision-making.
While these resources simplify evidence to support their application in practice, it is essential to ensure they are current, reliable, and based on high-quality research.
Glover, J., Izzo, D., Odato, K., & Wang, L. (2006). EBM Pyramid. http://www.ebmpyramid.org/images/pyramid.gif