Using Evidence to Support Professional Practice and Policy

Proper collection of blood cultures are necessary and the most direct method of determining whether or not a patient is septic. The purpose of obtaining blood cultures is to identify and isolate the bacteria that are causing an illness and then determine the best course of treatment based on the sensitivity of the bacteria to particular antibiotics. One of the most frustrating problems plaguing hospitals is the increased rate at which blood culture results are being returned as contaminated specimens. These results can lead to a significant increase in cost to the hospital and patient as well as an increased length in hospital

In the past few decades, many nursing practices were relied on state regulation, cost, or insurance policy. However, evidence based practice (EBP) are increasingly recognized and emphasized to change in nursing practice. For many clinical settings, there are thousands of resources available today. Not only most of nursing practice are made based on a pilot study but also implied to bring most benefits of the care.

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).

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.

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

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

In this essay I will evaluate the David Bennett Inquiry Report, which was set up by the North, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire Strategic Health Authority (NSCSHA) to investigate the death of Mr David Bennett. I will define evidence-informed practice (EIP) and summarise the inquiry report. I shall highlight and critically analyse some of the key issues raised in the report in relation to ethnic minority issues. Finally, I will discuss the implications of evidence-informed practice for social work as well as my own future practice.

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

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

According to Cherry (2014), Evidence-based practice (EBP) can be defined as the process of systematically finding, appraising, and using research findings as a basis for making decisions about patient care. The rise of technology and the worldwide access and flow of information have transformed the decision-making processes of practitioners. In Dialysis unit, the basis of treating intradialytic hypotension in hemodialysis is procedure and practices is using of Trendelenburg position. It is common sign and symptom for any hemodialysis patient to develop hypotension after several hours of ultrafiltration and pulling out so much of blood from the patient. Trendelenburg position

Evidence-based practice requires ready access to external evidence that can lead to up-to-date clinical decision making. Meanwhile, libraries have been under growing funding pressure when physiotherapists have been adapting evidence-based practice. Journal subscription prices have increased intensely past ten years in the field of medicine, the average price increase over this period was 304% (Albee & Dingley 2000). A lot of library budgets are unable to afford such increases and libraries have had to consider choices including stopping serial subscriptions and converting from paper to electronic formats. By the same token, an individual may only be able to afford to subscribe to a couple of journals (Maher et al. 2001).

This report discusses the task of searching for a piece of literature based on the theme of ‘Respect and Dignity’. This is an important topic for all healthcare professionals such as nurses and midwives, doctors, physiotherapists and occupational therapists to be aware of, as service users have a right and an expectation to be treated with respect and dignity at all times when accessing healthcare. The NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement states that dignity in care should involve “…offering a genuinely personal service; flexibility in where or when the care is provided; a service that considers the right to privacy of people receiving care; and the

Evidence-based practice (EBP) offers a framework utilization of systematic high-quality research, an analysis which consistently enhances measurable client outcome and clinical decision-making grounded in rationality; EBP depends on data collected through experimental research and accounts for individual client characteristics and clinician expertise. The potential benefits of EBP comprise of increased service delivery and quality of care, heightened accountability, and a bridging of the research-practice gap (Sackett, Straus, Richardson, Rosenberg, & Haynes, 2000). It is imperative that research scholars are cognizant of research outcome dependability and validity prior to implementing results