nursing evidence based practice research

The Implementation of Evidence-Based Practice Evidence-based practice is a cornerstone of effective patient care (Mateo & Kirchhoff, 2009). The robustness of any existing body of evidence is only as useful as the ability of advance practice nurses to access, retrieve, and implement that knowledge in the practice environment. Therefore, nurses need systematic and comprehensive strategies for making information available to colleagues. Nurses also need their administrators to invest in the latest tools and technologies that promote evidence-based practice including networks and information systems.

Policies and procedures should not only uphold the tenets of evidence-based practice but also make it easier for nurses to find and share knowledge specific to developing practice behaviors in their care environments. Methods of finding knowledge specific to developing practice behaviors include utilizing proprietary databases, interviewing experts in the field, and utilizing online digital resources. Combining these three methods of knowledge acquisition can make research more robust and applicable to the practice environment.

Step One: Identify the Population Advance practice nursing requires the identification of population variables related to health outcomes (Curley & Vitale, 2012). The theory behind population-based nursing is that similar populations respond similarly to similar treatment interventions, just as diverse populations may respond differently to the same intervention (Curley, 2012). Population-based nursing is evidence-based, and it also promotes the value of patient-centered care. Advance practice nurses identify population variables through communication with patients, families, colleagues, and administrators.

By identifying the population as the first step in evidence-based practice, advance practice nurses can also find information specific to necessary treatment interventions or practice behaviors. As Dieterle & Hooper-Lane (2009) point out, nursing and healthcare research is often classified or tagged according to specific populations. To maintain internal and external validity, empirical research will focus on specific populations, defining those populations in order to rule out extraneous variables that might be implicated in the results.

Therefore, nurses that identify population as the first step in evidence-based practice also facilitate the rapid retrieval of recent and relevant research to the practice environment. Step Two: Collecting the Right Data After the advance practice nurse identifies the population and initiates research into the treatment area, the next step is to collect the appropriate data and amalgamate it into usable knowledge specific to developing practice behaviors. Advance practice nurses collect data from a number of different information systems made available through the healthcare institution.

However, the open access movement has also meant that an abundance of peer-reviewed nursing papers are available online for free (Dieterle & Hooper-Lane, 2009). To prefer for effective data collection procedures, advance practice nurses should have in mind a question formulated in terms of variables like population and recommended interventions. Advance practice nurses may then enter keywords into databases like CINAHL to uncover the list of most recent and relevant research related to the practice question.

If a plethora of sources on the research question confound solutions to the practice problem, the advance practice nurse can consult with colleagues or look for meta-analyses that allow for more robust data sets that can be applied to the healthcare environment. Step Three: Evidence-Based Practice in Action Finally, the nurse participates in the evolution of effective evidence-based practice by putting the results of their research into action. When recommended treatment interventions are evidence-based, they are specifically applicable to the target population and the presenting medical concerns.

The advance practice nurse may also need to translate the vast body of knowledge acquired through database searches to both colleagues and patients, to promote transparency and a collaborative work environment, as well as to empower the patient with knowledge. Assessing Knowledge Validity and Applicability Assessing the validity and applicability of the knowledge discovered through searches is a critical component of evidence-based practice.

After all, a tedious search of thousands of journals may yield what seem to be valid results, but those results may only be published on websites that lack credibility or may be based on flawed research methodologies. Advance practice nurses learn how to discern between credible and invalid sources, particularly when searching online but also when using sources found through reliable academic databases like CINAHL.

As Kirchhoff (2009) points out, advance practice nurses should work in a collaborative team environment, consulting with those already familiar with the practice area or those who are experts in the field to help decipher information that may be unclear or to assess whether a study is applicable or not. To ensure the research is valid and applicable to the patient population, it is also.