Verified Document

Evidence Hierarchy And Evidence Based Practice Research Paper

Evidence hierarchy exists as a means of evaluating the strength of the evidence that has been provided in a study. The highest order of evidence, for example, is a meta-analysis of randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) that have clear results. The lowest are case reports, which would be viewed as anecdotal in nature. One of the distinguishing features of the hierarchy of evidence is that the best studies are those that can be extrapolated to a larger population, while the weakest are ones that generally cannot be extrapolated. This hierarchy was developed to support the growing call for evidence-based practice in health care (Evans, 2003). My project seeks to compare wait times in outpatient centers compared to traditional emergency room settings. For this study to rank high on the hierarchy of evidence, there would need to be more than just a comparison of wait time statistics -- an independent variable would need to be defined. This would be whatever unique feature distinguishes the outpatient centers from traditional emergency room settings. While knowing that there is a difference in wait times, that would only be a cross-sectional study, which is second-lowest on the hierarchy of evidence. More important, it would not be an experimental study,...

An independent variable, therefore, needs to be identified. Working with an independent variable and then testing the outcomes (wait times) would allow the study to move higher up the hierarchy of evidence. How high would depend on the quantitative strength of the evidence.
There are logical holes in simply looking for correlations in a non-experimental study design. The critics of evidence hierarchies offer all manner of logical fallacies in their criticism -- ranging from "I don't think it's intuitive" to "other people don't use them" (Borgerson, 2009) but such critiques are weak -- the hierarchy of evidence exists specifically to demand rigor rather than wishing away rigor on the grounds that all evidence is equal. It is not. The logic of the hierarchy of evidence is sound -- findings that can be replicated are the best evidence available. Other studies with a lower threshold either do not prove causation, or they simply describe a finding. They have less applicability to evidence-based practice. For example, an anecdote can show that something happened once, but for that intervention to…

Sources used in this document:
References

Borgerson, K. (2009) Valuing evidence: Bias and the evidence hierarchy of evidence-based medicine. Perspectives in Biology and Medicine. Vol. 52 (2) 218-233.

Evans, D. (2003). Hierarchy of evidence: A framework for ranking evidence evaluating healthcare interventions. Journal of Clinical Nursing. Vol. 12 (1) 77-84.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Evidence-Based Practice EBP Is the Term That
Words: 895 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is the term that refers to the need for nursing to be based on research that has been conducted in the most thorough scientific manner, consistently tested, rigorously proved, and only then published by peer-refereed academic journals. Evidence-based nursing is popular in nursing since it joins science with practice and bases nursing on a more critical scientific basis. It puts the nurse, so to speak, in the driver's

Evidenced-Based Practice - Environment There Are Perhaps
Words: 1054 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Evidenced-Based Practice - Environment There are perhaps few environments and professions within which change is both as important and as difficult as it is within health care. While there are many barriers to the change process, there are at least an equal amount of drivers that indicate the necessity for change. In evidence-based practice, nursing practitioners, administration personnel, management personnel, and all involved in the health care profession need to form

Evidence-Based Practice in the Past
Words: 5458 Length: 15 Document Type: Thesis

In fact the inabilty of the sociall work profession to adequaelty and discretely define EBP, specifically the main goal of this work, may in part be to blame for scholalry blunders, such as the use of evidence-based practice in a title of a work that is highly qualitative, anecdotal or even based on a single or small set of case studies. Just as Weed lists the various levels of evidence,

Evidence-Based Practice Citation That Was of Interest
Words: 1212 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Evidence-Based Practice citation that was of interest to the author of this document is called "Closing the quality gap: A critical analysis of quality improvement strategies: volume 5 -- asthma care." It focuses on the phenomenon in which "there remains a significant gap between accepted best practices for asthma care and actual care delivered to asthma patients" (Stanford University, 2007). Specifically, the authors of this document sought to analyze

Evidence-Based Practice for the Advanced Practice Nurse
Words: 3025 Length: 8 Document Type: Essay

Applying Evidence-Based Research in Nursing Practice What is the difference between research and evidence-based practice projects? Provide an example of EACH ONE and the reasons for the difference. Why should nurses be interested in learning about EBP? (evidence-based practice). Research and evidence-based practice are not synonymous, and the distinctions are not necessarily intuitive. Research is a generic term that holds many different meanings depending on the context in which the term

Analyzing Translation of Research in Evidence Based Practice
Words: 3650 Length: 11 Document Type: Research Paper

Evidence-Based Practice Translation of Research in Evidence-Based Practice Nursing involves men and women who are willing to help the patients with their skills like health maintenance, recovery of ill or injured people and the treatment. They develop a care plan for the patient sometimes in collaboration with the physicists or therapists. This paper discusses the current nursing practice in which I am involved and needs to be changed. Identification of a Current Nursing

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now