The moral obligation described above extends to the evidence upon which we base our practice. Nursing now exists in a healthcare arena that routinely uses evidence to support decisions, and nurses must justify their rationales for practice. Whereas, historically, nursing and specifically clinical procedures were based on rituals rather than research (Ford and Walsh [10], Walsh and Ford [43]), over the past 30 years evidence‐based practice (EBP) has formed an integral part of practice, education, management, strategy and policy in healthcare. As Draper ([9]) states, ‘as the global demand for healthcare services increases exponentially, it has never been more important to demonstrate clinical effectiveness to achieve the best outcomes … while ensuring value for money” (p.2480). Research has played a key role in identifying the specific interventions that lead to the best outcomes, or, in other words, identifying the evidence to underpin clinical practice – that is, evidence‐based practice.