Evidence hierarchy exists as a means of evaluating the strength of the evidence that has been provided in a study. The highest order of evidence, for example, is a meta-analysis of randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) that have clear results. The lowest are case reports, which would be viewed as anecdotal in nature. One of the distinguishing features of the hierarchy of evidence is that the best studies are those that can be extrapolated to a larger population, while the weakest are ones that generally cannot be extrapolated. This hierarchy was developed to support the growing call for evidence-based practice in health care (Evans, 2003). My project seeks to compare wait times in outpatient centers compared to traditional emergency room settings. For this study to rank high on the hierarchy of evidence, there would need to be more than just a comparison of wait time statistics -- an independent variable would need to be defined. This would be whatever unique feature distinguishes the outpatient centers from traditional emergency room settings. While knowing that there is a difference in wait times, that would only be a cross-sectional study, which is second-lowest on the hierarchy of evidence. More important, it would not be an experimental study,...
An independent variable, therefore, needs to be identified. Working with an independent variable and then testing the outcomes (wait times) would allow the study to move higher up the hierarchy of evidence. How high would depend on the quantitative strength of the evidence.
In fact the inabilty of the sociall work profession to adequaelty and discretely define EBP, specifically the main goal of this work, may in part be to blame for scholalry blunders, such as the use of evidence-based practice in a title of a work that is highly qualitative, anecdotal or even based on a single or small set of case studies. Just as Weed lists the various levels of evidence,
Evidence-Based Practice citation that was of interest to the author of this document is called "Closing the quality gap: A critical analysis of quality improvement strategies: volume 5 -- asthma care." It focuses on the phenomenon in which "there remains a significant gap between accepted best practices for asthma care and actual care delivered to asthma patients" (Stanford University, 2007). Specifically, the authors of this document sought to analyze
Applying Evidence-Based Research in Nursing Practice What is the difference between research and evidence-based practice projects? Provide an example of EACH ONE and the reasons for the difference. Why should nurses be interested in learning about EBP? (evidence-based practice). Research and evidence-based practice are not synonymous, and the distinctions are not necessarily intuitive. Research is a generic term that holds many different meanings depending on the context in which the term
Evidence-Based Practice Translation of Research in Evidence-Based Practice Nursing involves men and women who are willing to help the patients with their skills like health maintenance, recovery of ill or injured people and the treatment. They develop a care plan for the patient sometimes in collaboration with the physicists or therapists. This paper discusses the current nursing practice in which I am involved and needs to be changed. Identification of a Current Nursing
This is one of the most common forms of research and, for some research questions is clearly a strong design (Ethics in Critical Care Nursing Research, 2005). The research that was done in this article would be considered a non-experimental type. There were two types of observation that were conducted. The first type was that of focus groups and the second being the file audit, both of which are observational
Nursing Student 1: A matter that I consider to be of ethical importance in nursing is the use of evidence-based practice. This is an ethical issue in the sense that it is unethical not to utilize evidence in determining how to perform the duties of a nurse. The historical nurse theories, if they are not substantiated by evidence, are little more than pseudoscientific hokum. Ultimately, nursing is about helping people. You
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now