Being A Great Nurse Means To Be In A Mutual Partnership

As a provider of care, professional nurses depend on research, theories, and evidence based practice to guide the care they provide to patients. Nurses deliver care to their patients based on information they have learned through many years of school and training. Training for nurses and other providers of care is founded on theories, research, and evidence based practice in the healthcare field. Theories, research, and evidence based practice are all important for providing care to patients and each can be used in a different manner depending on the situation. Clinicians often use research based evidence to design and implement care that is high-quality and cost effective for patients. Evidence based practice can be used to provide care to patients in a steadily changing clinical environment. (PDF page 8-9). Nursing theories are frequently used as frameworks for establishing nursing care interventions and assessing

Evidence based practice is an integral part of nursing care. According to the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses, evidence based practice is defined as, “the conscientious use of current best evidence in making decisions about patient care.” (AMSN) The use of evidence based practice has drastically improved patient outcomes, increased quality and safety of healthcare, and reduced costs for facilities. (Melnyk, 2016) In this paper I will provide the history of evidence based practice, how it has already been incorporated and impacted healthcare, and why it is important to nursing and healthcare as a whole.

Itroduction: Evidence-based practice is an approach to medicine that uses scientific evidence to determine the best practice (Beyea & Slattery, 2006). As nurses perform their daily tasks they must continually ask themselves, “What is the evidence for this intervention?”. Nurses are well positioned to question current nursing practices and use evidence to make care more effective. In order to improve patients’ outcomes it is the responsibility of the nurse to transition evidence-based practice into the norm, through application of daily practice (Flynn Makic, Rauen, Watson & Will Poteet, 2014). Continual evaluation of current practice must be performed to ensure the use of evidence-based practice opposed to practice based upon tradition. The implementation of evidence-based practice standardizes healthcare practices and diminishes groundless variations within care. These variations lead to the production of uncertain health outcomes (Stevens, 2013).

Professionalism in nursing has advanced greatly over the years. A cornerstone for change includes that of evidence based practice (EBP) as the drive of nursing intervention and patient care. According to the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN), Evidence-based practice is described as the combination of the most recent evidence with clinical knowledge that includes the patient’s best interests in mind for greater patient outcomes (QSEN, 2017). The QSEN’s goal is to prepare nurses for improvement in quality and safety of patients (2017). Because of this goal, six competencies, including evidence-based practice, are listed for criteria of improvement in nursing practice (2017). I have been fortunate to have experience with implementing this practice and providing education in certain EBP protocols in my career. One EBP protocol in particular that our unit has been involved in since May of this year includes Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) now referred to as Improving Surgical Care and Recovery (ISCR).

According to Lewis, Dirksen, Heitkemper & Bucher (2014), “Evidence-based practice is a problem-solving approach to clinical decision making. It involves the use of the best available evidence in combination with clinical expertise and patient preferences and values to achieve desired patient outcomes.” Using evidence based practice in nursing is extremely important, because evidence-based practice is the result of others trying a practice one way but needing to change some of the guidelines to make the practice safer and over all better for patients.

Over the last several years, nurses have been facing critical challenges. This is because there is a shortage of qualified individuals inside many facilities. At the same time, they are expected to serve a variety of roles in order to address the needs of stakeholders. To fully understand what is occurring requires focusing on the use of evidence based practices inside a clinical setting and formulating strategies for overcoming barriers to them. Together, these elements will highlight the underlying challenges and how they can be addressed in the long term. (Lundry, 2009)

Evidence Based Practice is a principle that is centered on the improvement of patient care and outcomes, by introducing and researching current based evidence when making decisions for that patient. According to Johnston (2016), “Health-care practitioners are increasingly being encouraged to implement research evidence into practice in order to ensure optimal patient outcomes and provide safe, high-quality care”. Throughout the course of this class, whether it be from researching about Evidence Based Practice, or the implementation of nursing care delivery models, patient care and the way we treat our patients is at the forefront of change. We know that change is necessary, now it is just a matter of how to implement that change into the healthcare

Evidence based practice has a great impact on health care system, nursing practice, teaching, and science. The necessity for evidence based quality enhancement and healthcare alteration underscores the requirement for redesigning and implementing care that is effectual, secure and competent (Stevens, K., Ma., 2013). The movement of evidence based practice commenced with the identification of the problems faced in healthcare system. The unacceptable gap between what we know and what we do in the patients care(Kohn, L. T., Corrigan, J. M., & Donaldson, M. S. 2001). The main intend of evidence based practice in health care is to provide the resources by which the most latest relevant evidence from research and studies can be judiciously

As a novice nurse I will have limited clinical experience, and since one component of evidence-based practice involves clinician expertise, I will have some difficulty applying this practice to my nursing care. However, through my education, I will be introduced to research, patient data, clinical experiences, and patient preferences and values, which will allow me to gain valuable knowledge, proficiency, and experience that will allow me to implement evidenced based practice into my nursing profession.

In response to reforms called for by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Institute of Medicine (IOM) examined the future of nursing with these changes in mind. It is crucial for nursing to adapt to these reforms, along with advancements in medicine and changes in the demographics of the United States. The IOM report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, analyzes many ways that nursing can be improved and has been improved, and how we can apply what we have learned to how we practice nursing. I will be analyzing three sections of the report in particular: “Transforming Education,” “Transforming Practice,” and “Transforming Leadership” in order to determine how policy changes might impact my nursing education, practice and

According to Houser (2012), evidence Based Practice Nursing is the application of evidence based findings by nurses to steer the nurse toward integration of clinical expert opinion and experience with an unbiased comprehensive analysis of the best scientific evidence professional nursing care literature can provide while integrating patient principles and preferences. When planning for sustaining evidenced based practice, it is vital to adopt a methodical critical thinking decision making method, directed by deliberately adopting Evidence Based Nursing model pathway that encompasses searching, appraising, synthesizing, adapting, implementing, with a continuous evaluation of outcomes (Houser, 2012). Consequently, in an attempt to create or sustain an evidence-based practice, the plan must be well thought out, assessed, implemented and evaluated for desired outcome. My current area of nursing practice is in a Med-Surge/Orthopedic unit of an acute health care setting. We are specialized in Total Joint replacements, with an occasional spillover of Medsurg cases, who are admitted to the floor due to lack room at the specific units. My plan to create and sustain an evidence-based practice, will be in regards to creating and instituting a required pre-surgical class for patients who have elected to undergo a joint replacement.

In conclusion, to transform the United States healthcare system contributions must be provided by the nursing profession. The changes will require implementation of the described IOM goals of transforming nursing education, nursing practice and nursing leadership. I believe the process of change to the nursing profession has already began as many of my nursing colleagues have begun to return to school to complete their Baccalaureate degrees (BSN). I personally will be meeting the goals set forth by the IOM. I will do so by improving my nursing practice with continuing my education and completing my BSN. I will also improve my nursing bedside practice and possibly step into nursing leaderships roles. By November 2015 I plan on applying into a Nurse Practitioners program (FNP) where after I will be working in the primary care setting and I will be able to lead a

In nursing, evidence based practice is the platform in which nursing skills and knowledge are built upon. Evidence based practice, as defined by the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses, is the “conscientious use of current best evidence in making decisions about patient care” (n.d.). The nurse, upon licensure, acknowledges the ability to facilitate patient care that incorporates all aspects of the evidence based practice model. In order for evidence-based practice to be maintained within health care institutions, it is essential that the nurse is able to function in manner that promotes best practice to provide effective, safe, high quality of care that is beneficial to the patient (Stevens, 2013).

The third and last section of the IOM report that will be discussed is on “transforming leadership” key message # 3 of the IOM report states, “Nurses should be full partners, with physicians and other health professionals, in redesigning healthcare in the United States.” The committee is calling for a new type of leadership, one that involves collaborating with others and working together as partners showing mutual respect. This style of leadership has been shown to improve patient outcomes, reduce staff turnover, and reduce medical errors. (Gardener, 2005; Joint Commission, 2008; Pearson, 2007) For the needed changes in the U.S. healthcare system to take place all nurses from nursing students through Chief Nursing Officers must develop competencies in leadership and become partners with physicians and others to improve our healthcare system and delivery of care.

Nurses demonstrate the core values of professionally caring for others in two different prospects. Huber (2014), notes that “nurses have two basic roles: care providers and care coordinators” (p. 3). Most significantly nurses are valued in the setting of patient care, while the coordinator role revolves around management and organizing care, using thinking skills to coordinate complex activities. Nursing is multifaceted, although direct quality patient care is of significance, a positive leader or manager is also essential to support the recent changes to healthcare requirements. Having the right blend of qualities is vital to becoming a