Is Nursing an Art or Science

Evidence-Base practice (EBP) is defined as: “based on problem identified from the practitioner’s area of practice; a combining of best evidence and professional expertise and an integration of this into current practice; about ensuring patients receive quality care, being part of quality improvement processes; about collaboration and requiring a team approach” (French, 1999). Scott and Mcsherry (2008) supported the French’s assertion, proposing the key elements of EBP are that it is a theory-driven process, which involves the use, evaluation and application of research; identification of best evidence; evaluation of care; problem solving; decision-making; clinical expertise; and requires patient involvement. Evidence-based practice is made of evidence, clinical expertise, patient preference, the context of care (Barker, 2013). In brief, evidence-based practice is the parameter in the nursing practice that it requires that the nurses gather and use clinical evidence to make decision for the patients so that in the nursing process they can deliver the quality of care for the patients (Ellis, 2013). In the other words, in the nursing practice all the nursing procedures performed by the clinical evidence supported.

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.

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.

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).

Discovering new information applicable to the field of nursing begins by asking a focused clinical research question. According to Stone (2002), asking the appropriate question is essential for the research process that follows. Although there are countless nursing problems that are worth investigating, it is imperative to narrow the focus of the problems so they can be empirically tested (Adams, 2012). Personal clinical experience, professional literature, previous research, and current nursing theories are a few examples of sources where research questions can be identified (Adams, 2012). The purpose of this paper is to explain the connection between research and evidence-based practice, discuss how

Evidence Based Practice Nursing is the utilization by nurses of Evidence Based Research findings that, according to Houser (2012), steer the nurse toward integration of clinical expert opinion and experience with an unbiased exhaustive review of the best scientific evidence professional nursing care literature can provide while incorporating patient values and preferences. Evidence Based Practice Nursing entails adopting a systematic critical thinking decision making process guided by a deliberate and defined chosen Evidence Based Nursing model path that involves searching,

This paper will discuss how evidence based practice effects nursing practice and how nurses can apply what they learn to their practice. Evidence based practice is a great way to improve the quality of care we provide. “Evidence based practice means using the best available research findings to make clinical decisions that are most effective and beneficial for patients” (Chitty & Black, 2011, p.258). By allowing nurses to participate in research and development, we are able to see firsthand how effective our intervention can be. Nurses run into all kinds of problems on a daily basis and they are able to share their experience and expertise to help develop a better way to solve a problem.

Evidence based practice, “involves integrating the best available research evidence with professional expertise while also taking account of patient preferences the patients state setting and circumstance and health care resources” (Gerrish, K. Lathlean, J, 2015). As the health care profession constantly changes, then it is vital that all evidence based practice is kept up to date with current information and research, relating to nursing practice. Always assuring that the patients need are taken into consideration (Sackett et al, 1996).

Findings of evidenced based practice have to be disseminated to ensure that innovations for practice are replicated or applied in other settings by stakeholders in the health fraternity and healthcare professionals (Forsyth, Wright, Scherb & Gaspar, 2010). One of the objectives of dissemination should be to improve the practice. Dissemination of evidenced based practice findings in nursing is very critical in knowledge synthesis, translation, and translation. It is imperative in strengthening healthcare, informing policy, and improving practice decisions based on clinical evidence (Rycroft-Malone & Bucknall, 2010). This is realized by transforming clinical changes into practice. It actually involves two stage processes namely: translation of evidence into practice and integration of research recommendations into actual practice. Effective dissemination of evidence based practice findings enable staff to share information about developments in healthcare practice and implement innovation (Freemantle & Watt, 1994).

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.

The John Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice Model describes how practice, education and research are the foundation for professional nursing. Practice is first, nurses need to question the basis of their practice and utilize an evidenced based approach to validate or change their current practice. Next is education, nurses’ education is basic in the beginning however with ongoing education nurses are able to gain new knowledge and skills throughout their careers. Finally is research, research generates new information for the nursing profession and allows for improvement of practice based on scientific evidence and research. (Dearholt & Dang 2012, p. 34-40).

Evidence-based practice (EBP) in nursing means making decisions about patient care on the basis of best, current, standardized practice and guidelines. According to an article, written by Dr. Kathleen Stevens, the development of evidence-based practice (EBP) is fueled by the increasing public and professional demand for accountability in safety and quality improvement in health care (Stevens, 2013). The author also mentioned in her article that the intended effect of EBP is to standardize healthcare practices to science and best evidence and to reduce illogical variation in care,

Nursing science provides the basis for professional nursing practice. Nursing theories provide the critical thinking structures to direct the clinical decision- making process of professional nursing practice. The relationship between theory, research, and practice is circular in nature. As new knowledge and discoveries emerge in each of these realms, the cutting edge of the art and science of the discipline of nursing evolves.

The art of nursing, to me, is the heart of nursing. It is timeless, demands connection to purpose, and ensues a sincere passion to serve everyone in our patient population equally, with compassion and sensitivity. The art of nursing exists in many forms and cultivates on many levels. I believe art, in this sense, is not the form itself but our ability as nurses to effectively connect to our patients using the form. One example of an art form is communication.