Evidence Based Practices Analysis

Evidence-based practice improves patient outcomes. There are apparent gaps between understanding and applying evidence-based practice, but that does not mean that we shouldn’t take the time to try and eliminate those gaps and do what’s best for our patients.

Evidence-based practice is the practice of making clinical decisions based off the best available research evidence coupled with the nurse’s own expertise, while also taking into account, the patient’s assessments and own personal preferences. This use of research has proven effective at providing better outcomes and lower healthcare costs, yet there are several barriers, such as time, education, and support, which prevent nurses from consistently using evidence-based practice (AJN, 2012). The top three barriers to the use of evidence-based practice are lack of time, education, and support in implementing new practices and using them consistently.

Another barrier is that organization does not provide the encouragement and acknowledgment to nurses who implement Evidence Based Practice (Cathy L. O’Nan, 2012). Major factors which prevent nurses from the implementation of Evidence Based Practices (EBP) are a lack of time to read articles, poor coordination with other members of health team and unavailability of nursing research articles. It was also concluded that nurses perceived the lack of managerial and organizational support to implement EBP (Ay, F., 2014).

Evidence based practice is the basis for needed change in practice and function. It is a sound method for scientific, fact-based change. Changes which have no evidence to support them are fragile, unscientific, and subjective. These changes don’t effect real change over time, as they aren’t able to be proven to a more general population.

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).

Pressure ulcers occur over bony prominences when skin is compressed for long periods of time, affecting the blood supply to certain areas, leading to ischaemia development (Waugh and Grant, 2001). Compression of skin is caused by pressure, shearing and friction, but can also occur due to pressure exerted by medical equipment (Randle, Coffey and Bradbury, 2009). NICE (2014) states that the prevalence of pressure ulcers in different healthcare settings in December 2013 was 4.7%, taken from data available for 186,000 patients. The cost of treating ulcers can vary depending on severity from £43 up to £374 (NICE, 2014). Evidence based practice skills are essential in nursing as it allows the best available evidence to be used to improve practice and patient care, while improving decision-making (Holland and Rees, 2010). I will be critiquing two research papers; qualitative and quantitative, using a framework set out by Holland and Rees (2010), and will explore the impact on practice. Using a framework provides a standardised method of assessing quality and reduces subjectivity.

They are tasked to encourage and facilitate EBP projects. This is one way of actively supporting, promoting and continuing to improve patient outcomes with the use of evidence-based practices. Challenges arise when there are no consistent leadership in this SL group that may be due to personal reasons, schedule challenges and the different challenges that may come during the steps in conducting the EBP project itself. In my personal experience on the EBP project on bedside handoff, the advantages and benefits of changing from nurse-to-nurse handoff at the nurses’ station to bedside handoff were emphasized to all stakeholders, including the increase in patient satisfaction when patients are involved in their care. However, we faced a high push-back form staff when it came to the implementation phase. There were concerns that handoff would be longer than usual, and that breech of patient confidentiality and privacy would ensue if bedside handoff was done. Despite all that, the bedside handoff EBP was successfully implemented mostly due to the timing and adequacy of staff education that included role playing, as well as strong support of the leadership team. According to Adams, Farrington and Cullen (2012), “The final and perhaps most intimidating step in the evidence-based practice (EBP) process is dissemination.” But with proper preparation, this can be

Evidenced-based practice (EBP) originated in Canada from a new form of medical school which was launched during the 1970s at an institution called McMaster University (Hoffmann, Bennett, & Del Mar, 2010). This new medical program was uncommon in a variety of its methods. The primary variation was the abbreviated three year medical program which is very brief in comparison to other medical school framework (Hoffmann, Bennett, & Del Mar, 2010). Instructors conceded that the ideal concept of teaching medical students everything they would possibly need to know in regards to practicing medicine with in this program was an unattainable undertaking (Hoffmann, Bennett, & Del Mar, 2010). In response to this epiphany, instructors at this institution transformed their educational approach and focused on instruction that would provide students with the skills and tools they would need to effectively locate health information while practicing as healthcare professionals (Hoffmann, Bennett, & Del Mar, 2010). This scientific approach to healthcare is now known as evidence-based practice (Hoffmann, Bennett, & Del Mar, 2010). In the past, healthcare practitioners made decisions for patients based on personal and professional experience, hearsay, and lack of scientific evidence (White, 2004). An evidence-based practice links the

Using evidence-based practice in daily patient care may seem like a time-consuming process, but in reality it is not. It should come as a natural process once incorporated into your daily routine. The process (as cited in Houser, 2013) involves six elements: (1) Ask a relevant clinical question, (2) search for the best evidence in the literature, (3) critically appraise the evidence, (4) integrate the evidence with clinical experience and client preferences, (5) evaluate the outcome of the practice change, and (6) disseminate the

Evidence based practice and practice based evidence are a big part of a treatment process. These two can provide appropriate treatment that is needed to make advances in health care practices. Having enough evidence helps people determine whether to do something or not. To provide the best possible treatment for each patient you have to take information and see what will work best for each of your patients. Some will work and some will not work. Methodological issues can arise with in any type of research and some are more controversial than others. In the article “Practice Based Evidence: Back to the Future” (2011) the point of view was that research comes from evidence and that

In our research, we have compared three very different tools for ranking evidence based practice methods. Each of these tools could be effectively utilized in any healthcare facility or healthcare organization.

Donze, A., & Broede, J. (2010, June). The Role of Qualitative Research in Evidence-Based Practice. Retrieved October 14, 2016, from

Satterfield, J. M., Spring, B., Brownson, R. C., Mullen, E. J., Newhouse, R. P., Walker, B. B., & Whitlock, E. P. (2009). Toward a transdisciplinary model of evidence-based practice. The Milbank Quarterly, 87(2), 368–390.

he paraphrasing strategy, students are looking into the meaning of the words, the main idea and details, for the student to write all this information in their own words. In this strategy the students are able to better understand what they are reading since they are re-writing in their own words. When looking at this strategy I think that most people used it, since when you write things in your own words you are writing exactly what you understand from the concept and it is easy to retain the information. In the chapter is state that this evidence-based practice is a good approach for a student with learning disability, since student is able to use a tape recorded to paraphrase what they read. Also another example given in the chapter is for the students to use a sticky note in each paragraph they read and paraphrase what they have read.

As an advance practice nurse, I would integrate evidence-based principles by keeping myself up to date on current nursing research. For instance, hand washing is a simple practice based on evidence that has shown to decrease spread of infections from one person to another. In my daily practice, I wash my hands before and after seeing each patient. Many research studies have shown handing washing is simplest and most effective way to prevent spread of infections in any environment such as home or in a clinical setting. I always stop and remind staff when I see them going in patient room without disinfecting their hands. Also, when I discharge patients I educate them on importance of hand washing to prevent spread of germs. I have joined emergency