Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing and Healthcare
What Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing and Healthcare is all about
Evidence-based practice (EBP) in nursing and healthcare is an approach to clinical decision-making that integrates the best available research evidence, clinical expertise, and patient values and preferences to guide clinical decision-making. EBP involves critically appraising and synthesizing research evidence to determine its relevance and applicability to a specific clinical question or patient problem.
The goal of EBP is to improve the quality of patient care, promote patient safety, and enhance patient outcomes by ensuring that clinical decisions are based on the best available evidence. EBP also helps to reduce variations in care and ensure that care is consistent with current best practices.
The process of EBP involves several steps, including:
- Formulating a clinical question or problem
- Searching for and critically appraising relevant research evidence
- Integrating the evidence with clinical expertise and patient preferences
- Implementing and evaluating the effectiveness of the chosen intervention
- Disseminating the findings to inform future practice.
EBP requires ongoing education, training, and collaboration among healthcare professionals to keep up with the latest research and incorporate new evidence into clinical decision-making.
Example of Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing and Healthcare
An example of Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing and Healthcare would be the implementation of hourly rounding in hospitals. Hourly rounding is a nursing intervention where nurses check on patients every hour to assess their comfort, pain level, toileting needs, and other basic needs. The aim is to anticipate and address patient needs proactively, which has been shown to reduce patient falls, pressure ulcers, and call light use, and improve patient satisfaction.
The implementation of hourly rounding as an evidence-based intervention involves the following steps:
- Formulate a clinical question: What nursing interventions can improve patient safety and satisfaction on hospital units?
- Search for and critically appraise relevant research evidence: Research studies have shown that hourly rounding can improve patient outcomes, including reducing patient falls, pressure ulcers, and call light use, and increasing patient satisfaction.
- Integrate the evidence with clinical expertise and patient preferences: Nurses can use their clinical judgment to adapt hourly rounding to fit the specific needs of each patient and unit and involve patients and families in care planning.
- Implement and evaluate the effectiveness of the chosen intervention: Nurses can implement hourly rounding and collect data on patient outcomes to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention.
- Disseminate the findings to inform future practice: Nurses can share their findings and best practices with other healthcare professionals to improve patient care across the organization.
Overall, the implementation of hourly rounding as an evidence-based intervention can improve patient outcomes and satisfaction while reducing healthcare costs.
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