Evidence-Based Practice in Biofeedback and Neurofeedback

Evidence-based practice is a process of using the best evidence, preferably research findings, to guide the delivery of health services. Levels of evidence range from case reports and observational studies to randomized clinical trials.  Evidence-Based Practice in Biofeedback and Neurofeedback (4th ed.) updates and expands the 3rd edition, and provides helpful tables in most chapters for quick reference. It fills a void in the biofeedback and neurofeedback practice world: the need for a standardized assessment of clinical efficacy and effectiveness for feedback-based therapies.  Evidence-based practice must consider both efficacy in controlled research settings and effectiveness in the real world of clinical practice. Neither the general public nor the novice biofeedback practitioner can always assess which applications are well documented and which remain more experimental. Attending biofeedback and neurofeedback conferences, one hears discussion of many promising new approaches, and websites often claim “well-documented efficacy” for various new approaches. Nevertheless, today’s research climate has higher standards for efficacy and effectiveness than were current during much of the time in which biofeedback and neurofeedback evolved. This publication applies systematic standards of research methodology to biofeedback and neurofeedback practice.