Evidence Based Practice Approach

¶ … Polit and Beck (2008) Evidence-Based Practice is "broadly defined as the use of the best clinical evidence in making patient care decisions, and such evidence typically comes from research conducted by nurses and other health care professionals" (3). There are several facts we must note about Evidence-Based Practice here. The first fact is that it is intended to improve patient care. The evidence is supposed to improve the decisions that are made about patient care. But his evidence has to be collected and analyzed first. Because this evidence comes from research conducted by nurses, we can understand better what the role of the nurse must be in collecting evidence. I myself work as a charge nurse in an acute care setting; I hold a BSN degree and I am currently studying for my Masters degree in Nursing Practice. Would it be appropriate for me to gather evidence in order to improve patient care? I hope to answer the question of how Evidence-Based Practice would be used in my workplace.

We should begin with the question of what kind of nurse should collect evidence. Obviously Evidence-Based Practice is important for all nurses, because it can change hospital policy or work schedule. But collecting evidence has to be done as part of controlled research. Polit and Beck (2008) observe that "research is increasingly being conducted by practicing nurses who want to find out what works best for their patients" (4). This means that a nurse who is currently working with patients can engage in research and collect evidence. But a nurse who is new to the profession would not be suitable. The issue here is that preparing useful research can only be done after observation of the workplace where evidence would be gathered. For example, I have worked in the acute care setting for a significant amount of time. I would be able to give informed opinions about what happens in acute care. For example, if I had to give an estimate of mortality statistics in acute care over the course of a month, I could probably give accurate numbers just from my memory. I could think back and estimate the mortality statistics for the past several months, and find the average number. This is only possible because I have worked in acute care for some time now. If the goal would be to gather research that might offer insight into how to reduce the mortality rate, I would need some sense that the mortality rate could be reduced. Some types of care, like pediatrics, might have a very low mortality rate, and this research question would not be appropriate. Only an advanced practice nurse with actual experience has this kind of knowledge. But such knowledge is necessary to formulate the research question.