Nursing Evidence-Based Practice The press for evidence-based practice in nursing and for nurses as consumers of research is driven by a number of substantive factors. The state nursing boards and The Joint Commission (TJC) insist that policies and practices have a foundation in research. The keystone of this trend is that nurses must be able to read nursing research discriminately, understand how medical research relates to practice, and must sufficiently possess high levels of new literacy so that they can evaluate the research articles they review. When nurses are competent consumers of research, they are better prepared to integrate the research into their practice.

In addition to the emphasis on evidence-based practice and research consumption in nursing, strong economic forces are also directing this trend toward practicing nurses becoming consumers of research...

Healthcare stakeholders require greater accountability with respect to effective practices, transparency, and efficiency in order to be responsive to the rising costs of healthcare. Also, the system of magnet hospitals requires conformity to high standards of care that include creating a climate that promotes nursing autonomy and use of evidence-based practice.
Evidence-based practice is a problem-solving approach to nursing practice that integrates the best available research and clinical information within the context of practice and patient care. Solid evidence-based practice can serve to reduce the approximate 17-year gap between the origination of research findings and integration of those findings in practice. The three pillars of evidence-based practice include: 1) Problem solving by a nurse that is informed by clinical…