Fool's gold or real gold?

The term evidence-based practice is not new. For over twenty years the debate has been ongoing about how to make it happen. To practice within an evidence base, practitioners must determine if the evidence available is relevant for the particular patient (DiCenso et al 1998). This article aims to contextualise, clarify and explore the meaning of evidence-based practice for perioperative practitioners and, through introducing two models, identify and categorise sources of evidence to base practice on.