The evolution of evidence‐based treatment for children and adolescents: Tackling poor outcomes in treatment

Abstract

The term “evidence‐based” was first used by David M. Eddy in 1987 to describe developing clinical practice guidelines in medicine. By the 1990s, this phrase described a clinical decision‐making approach informed by published findings pointing to the efficacy of a certain practice. The first formal definition in 1996 by David L. Sackett and colleagues noted that evidence‐based medicine involves assessing and using the current best evidence and clinical judgment to make decisions about care. Evidence‐based treatment has become a solidly entrenched goal for most therapists at this point, and guidelines for clinicians are readily available.