“Evidence-Informed” or “Evidence-Based”?
Why Language Matters in Integrative Psychiatric Practice
As PMHNPs working within an integrative model, we often find ourselves navigating two worlds at once.
On one hand, we’re seeing firsthand that many patients need more than just medications. They need support with their sleep, nutrition, and chronic stress. They need care that sees their whole person.
On the other hand, we’re practicing in a system where advanced practice nurses (especially those of us prescribing psychiatric medications) are under increasing scrutiny. We know that how we show up matters, including the language we use when we talk to patients and to each other.
This is why we want to talk about a small phrase with big implications:
“Evidence-informed” vs. “Evidence-based.”
Why We Considered “Evidence-Informed” in Our Teaching
In integrative and functional medicine spaces, you’ll often hear people use the term evidence-informed care. The intention behind it is usually good. It acknowledges that:
Some promising interventions don’t yet have large-scale trials
Clinical judgment and patient context matter
A purely guideline-based approach can sometimes feel limited
In many ways, we resonate with this. Integrative psychiatry often means drawing on early research, traditional practices, and interventions that may make sense but not have a ton of systematic reviews to back them up (for example – recommendations around reducing isolation, increasing time with family/friends/community).
But after a lot of thought, we’ve chosen not to center the phrase evidence-informed in our teaching. Here’s why.
We believe strongly in holding both innovation and responsibility at the same time. Our clinical training, our nursing values, and our personal ethics call us to practice in a way that is:
Thoughtful
Honest
Responsible
Clear
Clinically defensible
And we believe that using the term evidence-based even while acknowledging the variability in that evidence helps reinforce the level of understanding and safety we want to support in our learners.
Many advanced practice nurses are learning from us early on in their careers. Many are already feeling unsure about what they’re allowed to do (despite completing their graduate training). And many are working in environments where being taken seriously already takes extra work.
For that reason, we’ve decided to err on the side of more caution, not less — and to use language that is familiar, respected, and aligned with the standards of care across disciplines.
So What Do We Say Instead?
When we teach about supplements, nutrition, or lifestyle interventions, you’ll often hear us say things like:
“There is some early research suggesting…”
“This has been studied in small clinical trials…”
“This is not FDA-approved for psychiatric conditions, but has shown potential in related areas…”
“This isn’t fully supported by strong data yet, so we’ll proceed carefully and monitor closely.”
In other words, we aim to be as honest and transparent as possible about both what we know and what we don’t.
We want both PMHNPs learning from us and our patients to know that we’re committed to safe practice and not to trends or protocols that outpace the data.
You Can Be Both Evidenced-Based and Integrative
If you’re feeling the tension between wanting to explore integrative care and wanting to stay well within your training scope, you’re not alone. We’ve been there, and many of the NPs we work with feel the same way.
Our belief is that you don’t have to choose between this or that. You can:
Practice within the evidence base
Think broadly about contributing factors
Use adjunctive strategies carefully and transparently
Document rationale and discussions of safety clearly
That’s what we’re teaching in our courses, and it’s how we both practice ourselves.
Final Thoughts
We’re not here to sell magic protocols or to promise that every supplement will change someone’s life (because news flash: there’s no magic pill). We’re here to help you feel more confident, more competent, and more supported in offering whole-person psychiatric care.
That means being honest about where the evidence is strong, where it’s emerging, and where we need to tread carefully (or avoid for now).
And it means being part of a community of NPs who want to do this well.
If that sounds like the kind of support you’ve been looking for, we’d love to work with you.
