Reconciling Evidence-Based Practice, Evidence-Informed Practice, And Practice-Based Research: The Role of Clinical Data-Mining (Commentary) (Report‪)‬

One can't talk about empowering social work without considering what disempowers social workers or how we disempower ourselves. One way is by constantly demeaning each other. Nowhere is the intramural practice of disparaging social work practitioners more pervasive than in the rhetoric of the evidence-based practice (EBP) movement. Alongside rigorously conducted research studies, one often finds disparaging references to practitioners' lack of critical thinking, the weakness of practice wisdom, and the dangers of interventions that have not first been tested via randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and meta-analyses. Practitioner disparagement appears to be both the raison d'etre and the sine qua non of EBP rhetoric. Having taught social work research for four decades, I am painfully aware, however, that the easiest and most self-defeating strategy for winning over "research-reluctant" students is to harangue them about how "soft headed" social workers are (Epstein, 1987). Instead of producing an appreciation of what research can tell us and what it can't or building on practitioners' concern for clients, a pedagogy grounded in disparagement only produces further research alienation--except, perhaps, in those few who go on to teach research and extend this unfortunate pedagogical practice for yet another generation.