Transferring evidence from research into practice: 4. Overcoming barriers to application

In the 3 preceding essays in this series (1–3), we described a path that leads from health care research evidence to evidence-based health care. The steps include getting the evidence straight, developing evidence-based clinical policy, and then applying the policy. In this editorial, we focus on the final step, applying evidence-based policy in the right way at the right place and time. As a precondition, application efforts are only justified if the evidence on which they are based is up to date and has been accurately incorporated and if the policy to be applied achieves a workable balance between both the evidence from research and the circumstances in which the evidence must be applied.