Knowledge Translation: Evidence Based Practice Project Implementation

Gerrish, K. Lathlean, J. (2015). The research process in nursing. West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons. p263.

In this essay, I am going to consider how evidence-based practice can be used to support, justify, legitimate and/or improve clinical practice. I am also going to explore and discuss primary and secondary research evidences about how nursing interventions can potentially improve the quality of life of patients in the community suffering from heart failure. I will gather these evidences using a literature search which I will include an account of. Using a critiquing framework for support, I will appraise both primary and secondary evidences that I have chosen. I will also look at potential non-evidential factors that can influence evidence utilisation in practice. Finally, a conclusion will be drawn.

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).

Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) was initially a movement in medicine, dating back to early 20th century (Spring, 2007). It was described as a careful decision making process about the care of individual patients using best available evidence by Sackett, Rosenberg, Gary, Haynes, and Richardson (1996). Greenhalgh (2010) gave a similar definition but with more emphasis on the mathematical assessment of the potential benefit and harm. By now, EBP has been widely adopted by many health disciplines, including psychology. In 2005, the American

Evidence-based practice is a formulation of ideas, research and conclusions to formulate the best possible health care choice (Hood, 2014). In health care the process of utilizing current information begins with a question can something be done better, can the patients benefit as a result and is it cost effective, EBP seeks new information to replace old or outdated information. When there are doubts if something can be done better a research team collects data on the subject using unbiased information they analyze the data, design interventions that are based on the new evidence and makes their final recommendations on their findings (Hood,

Venous thromboembolism refers to the formation of a blood clot in a blood vessel. While clots can form in an artery or a vein, this article focuses only on clots that occur in a vein ("," 2015). Critically ill patients are at an increased risk of a venous thromboembolism (VTE) due to VTE can manifest as a deep venous thrombosis (DVT) or a pulmonary embolism (PE). Risk factors include venous stasis, vascular injury, and hypercoagulable disorders. A majority of ICU patients carry at least one risk factor for VTE; additional risk factors are considered to have a cumulative effect…it is impossible to predict which patients will experience a

The impact of evidence based practice has been brought into nursing through education, practice, and science over the last decade. Evidence based practice provides quality care to patients that is effective, safe, and efficient. Evidence based practice promises moving care to a high level of producing the intended health outcome for the patients. “EBP is aimed at hardwiring current knowledge into common care decisions to improve care processes and patient outcomes” (Stevens, 2013). EBP empowers nurses and expands their skills by using the best available evidence to guide nursing care and patient outcomes.

Evidence based practice is the incorporation of individual clinical expertise with best research evidence and patient values and expectations. Health care decision of individual patients should be based on best available research evidence. A health decision made from a sound research evidence has the potential to ensure best practice and reduce variations in health care delivery. In health science, an ever increasing plethora of studies being published and is challenging for clinicians to keep up with the literature. Integrating research into practice is time consuming and need methods for easy access to such evidences for busy clinicians. Indeed, clinical decision should be based on the latest research evidence. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses summarize the research evidence, which is generally the best form of evidence, thereby making the available evidence more accessible to decision makers and are positioned

Today, we are continually striving to improve the quality of care that we deliver and the best method in applying relevant research into clinical practice are through evidence based practice (EBP). We have now come to a time in our careers to shift our direction on how to employ evidence based practice techniques when managing our patient's health care needs. Facilitation is a method that has been investigated as a way to help clinicians accomplish the implementation of evidence into practice. As clinicians, we are encouraged to think outside the box and utilize critical thinking skills as well as express our role as nurses as part of the health care team.

As mentioned before, my chosen policy priority is childhood obesity, an epidemic with many health issues associated with it. According to Burns, Grove, and Gray (2011), research used as evidence- based practice (EBP) has been implemented in the clinical practice to achieve quality care, efficiency, and positive outcome for patients and healthcare organizations. Furthermore, when EBP is applied to clinical practice it provides description, explanation, prediction and the control of phenomena. To this, Saviñon, Taylor, Canty-Mitchell, and Blood-Siegfried (2012) suggested that nurses can advocate for the children by encouraging parents to provide children with a variety of foods in adequate amounts to support growth and energy play. Furthermore,

In healthcare, evidence based practice (EBP) has grown and become important in providing the best quality care possible to patients. There are numerous ways to collect and use the research in the nursing profession. Studies are constantly being done to help better nursing and all of the healthcare field in order to help patients live better and maintain their health. There are different types of research such as qualitative and quantitative. Qualitative uses the human experience or something that has been lived by someone and quantitative examines for meaning and goes more in depth to research things and strives to test a hypothesis or makes use of statistical data to answer research questions (LoBiondo-Wood

Applying evidenced-based practice has three steps. Step one is making sure the research is creditable. Going into detail about step one should model a social work practice. In a social work practice, you always want to make sure you are looking for clarity and in some cases it helps to paraphrase it or reword it differently. As a social worker you have to be non-judgmental and try to understand every perspective. You have to be unbiased when it comes to wording and how it affects the meaning of the conversation. Also, making sure the research on the surveys or interviews are fair and represent the entire population. The second step is when you match your outcome of the research in your own “practice wisdom." As a social worker you want to compare the research you made with prior experience. You want to have different perspective and information that help you understand the client better. Lastly, the last step is to ask questions to the clients about their significance of what they have accomplished by working with you. Just asking what the client has learned can help

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.

This essay aims to explore the importance of utilising evidence based care while working with clients and other health care providers to form a professional and reliable nursing team. This essay also aims to focus and evaluate a qualitative article entitled “Patient experiences of bladder problems following stroke” selected from the Nursing Standard. The assignment will adopt a systematic approach to expose the strengths and weaknesses of the chosen qualitative research article. I found this topic quite intriguing after undertaking a clinical placement in a stroke unit and learnt that many people suffered in silence as they found urinary incontinence embarrassing to live with as

Does the compliance with a sedation protocol improve after nurses receive a sedation competency over a three month period? The available data supported the hypothesis that nursing education and competency can lead to consistent best practices and positive outcomes for patients. The answers to this research question can help develop interventions that support best practices for patients who are mechanically ventilated and receiving intravenous sedation.