Practice development: confirming the existence of a knowledge and evidence base

The term practice development has been associated with supporting modernization, and organizational, service and quality improvements but more importantly in promoting patient-centredness. Originating in the UK, it is increasingly being adopted in other countries. Its perceived value is in its facilitative approach to engaging, empowering, enlightening, evolving and evaluating patients, users and professionals within the processes of innovation and change through collaboration, team working and partnership building. Despite the plethora of literature outlining the relative merits and demerits of practice development to the healthcare professions and professionals and health and social care organizations there is limited evidence substantiating the existence of a knowledge base within the field of practice development. This paper aims to present the underpinning evidence confirming the existence of a knowledge base within the field of practice development. An in-depth critical review and synthesis of the literature on CINAHL, undertaken at the end of 2004 using the key words ‘practice development’ revealed 416 articles. This was limited to 130, which made direct reference to practice development in the title. From these articles, 23 were research focused and 107 associated with informing the practice development debate. The in-depth critical review and synthesis of the literature demonstrated that practice development can be defined and deciphered to show its impact in supporting innovation and change to individual, team and organizational practice. Practice development's primary principles are centred on promoting patient-centredness through the utilization of a facilitative approach to team working, collaboration, and partnership building and by networking. By nature of design and virtue practice development is not linear but a messy concept, yet among the mess of daily practice it does adopt a systematic and organized holistic approach to advancing and evaluating practice. The in-depth critical review and synthesis of the practice development literature reinforces the need to consolidate a position in order to move forward rather than back. This review confirms that practice development is an emerging discipline within health and social care demonstrating an acquired body of knowledge and an evidence base to substantiate its case. By plotting its history and reviewing the current evidence base, it would be fair to state that practice development is here to stay and due to grow within all professional groups. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.