Evidence-based practice relates to almost every aspect of health care at every stage of a client's relationship with the institution. For example, evidence-based practice informs the types of questions asked during the diagnostic procedures and might even impact the diagnosis itself (Bennett & Bennett, 2000). Evidence-based practice impacts the methods by which infections are prevented (Cantrell, 2009). Evidence-based practices impact the extent to which nurses are empowered to make sound, safe, and effective decisions (Scott & Pollock 2008). Evidence-based practice has the potential to transform the structure of a health care organization like MMH. This is because evidence-based practice changes the hierarchical structure in the organization due to the increased responsibility of nurses for conducting their own research. Alternatively, evidence-based practice can be an extension of organizational change. Health care organizations reducing the hierarchical nature of health care will be more likely to support evidence-based practice because of the inherent ways the method empowers nurses as opposed to empowering only managers.
The process of implementing evidence-based practice in a health care setting like that of MMH involves a series of steps. Those steps include the following, based on a review of literature. First, the nurse formulates the appropriate question based on the parameters of the scenario (Bennett & Bennett, 2000; Egerod & Hansen, 2005). For example, a nurse might need to know whether it would be appropriate to cut in half the dose of a given antibiotic due to the lower body mass of the patient vs. The norm. Second, the nurse searches the literature for evidence. This is one of the most important steps in the evidence-based practice. The nurse requires access to academic and professional databases of literature. Here is where the administration of the health care organization comes in: management must encourage access to nursing and health care databases. To promote evidence-based practice, the health care organization would have on hand terminals with free access to professional and academic databases. Then, nurses would apply their critical thinking skills regarding the accuracy, relevance, validity, and applicability of any given research study.
The third step in implementing evidence-based practice according to Egerod & Hansen (2005) is to integrate the empirical research evidence with clinical experience. Although this step is not included in Bennett & Bennett's (2000) list, it is implied as the past experiences of the nurse are to be taken seriously. The next step in integrating evidence-based practice is to implement the decision, using the evidence gathered from research in the clinical setting (Bennett & Bennett, 2000; Egerod & Hansen, 2005). The choice of method or technique to implement will be based on the review of literature and also on patient preferences (Egerod & Hansen, 2005; Gambrill, 2005). Finally, the nurse evaluates the outcome as systematically as possible. There are a number of ways a nurse may do this. From a managerial perspective, sharing the results with coworkers in staff meetings may be fruitful. Pipe et al. (2005) point out that "incorporating evidence-based research into an organization's policies and procedures" may be one of the most effective ways of improving patient care (Section 2).
According to Bennett & Bennett (2000), implementing evidence-based practice in a health care organization requires an ongoing commitment by individual nurses, nurse leaders, and administrators. Nurses need to "seek continuing education to develop skills for accessing information resources, understanding research methodologies and summary statistics, and critical appraisal," (Bennett & Bennett 2000). However, management and administration need also to make such opportunities for personal and professional development available and affordable to nurses. Nurses also need to be dedicated to using databases and reliable sources of evidence rather than assuming best practices based on habit or coworker advice. Even the authority of managers and doctors must be continually questioned in a genuine evidence-based practice paradigm. To implement evidence-based practice, nurses do need to participate in the creation of new research and in the development of their area of specialization. In other words, evidence-based practice is a means by which to improve the existing canon of knowledge. It is also up to the individual nurse to reconstruct priorities to account for evidence-based practice. The myth that time prohibits evidence-based practice must be discarded in favor of the truth that evidence-based practice is necessary for providing quality of care and for reducing health care costs. Time constraints are indeed a concern for nurses, though, especially given the current staffing shortage. As Pipe et al. (2005) note, "Evaluating studies for scientific merit can be a large task" calling for intensive organizational support for individual efforts (Section 2).
This is one of the most common forms of research and, for some research questions is clearly a strong design (Ethics in Critical Care Nursing Research, 2005). The research that was done in this article would be considered a non-experimental type. There were two types of observation that were conducted. The first type was that of focus groups and the second being the file audit, both of which are observational
The chief concern of the researcher should be the safety of the research participant. This is carried out by carefully considering the risk to benefit ratio, using all available information to make an appropriate assessment and continually monitoring the research as it proceeds. The scientific researcher must obtain informed consent from each research participant. This should be attained in writing although oral consents are sometimes acceptable after the participant has had
Staff Education Program ChecklistThe Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) student is responsible for complying with the site�s policies and requirements regarding the DNP project. The DNP student must follow the steps in the 2021 DNP Project Process Guide for students following the 2021 DNP Program of Study while working on the DNP project. The resources for the DNP project are located on the Office of Research and Doctoral Studies DNP
Nursing Evidence-Based PracticeAppendix IAction Planning Tool. Complete the following activities to ensure successful translation:?Secure a project leader.?Identify change champions.?Consider whether translation activities require different or additional members.?Schedule time to complete milestones.?Identify critical milestones and related tasks.?Identify observable pre or post measures.2. Identify barriers to the success of the change, and then identify strengths that can be leveraged to overcome barriers.BarriersResources or StrengthsPlan to Overcome Barriers by Leveraging Strengths as AppropriateInclude
Evidence-based practice is an approach that has been applied to clinical practice and nursing. Evidence-based practice started initially in medicine and went to fields like education, psychology, nursing and dentistry. It should be noted that the research is based on studies that were carried out and these studies go on to fit the scenario that is currently being dealt with. Treatments that are supported empirically are the ones that are proven
The Implementation of Evidence-Based Practice Evidence-based practice is a cornerstone of effective patient care (Mateo & Kirchhoff, 2009). The robustness of any existing body of evidence is only as useful as the ability of advance practice nurses to access, retrieve, and implement that knowledge in the practice environment. Therefore, nurses need systematic and comprehensive strategies for making information available to colleagues. Nurses also need their administrators to invest in the latest
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