Running head: EVIDENCE-BASED NURSING PRACTICE 1

Evidence-Based Nursing Practice

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Abstract

The term “evidence-based practice” (EBP) has echoed across the field of nursing and created

strong ripples in education and science. The call for evidence-based health care quality is driven

by need for improved treatment outcomes. As the public becomes more aware of their health, the

need to redesign care to make it safe, efficient, and effective cannot be overstated. In line with

other developments in the field of nursing, nurses have had to respond by launching health care
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initiatives that are grounded on empirical evidence. Notably, EBP has had profound impact on

contemporary health care in various areas including models and frameworks, research,

education, and nursing practices. It is noteworthy that EBP is aimed at entrenching the existing

knowledge into common care practices and patient treatment outcomes. The concept of EBP has

its roots in the alarming reports that have shown that major weaknesses in health care cause

significant preventable damages. As the present study will reveal, EBP holds immense promise
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for moving patients’ care to a new level, consequently producing the desired health outcome.

Keywords: evidence, nurses, treatment, outcomes

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Evidence-Based Nursing Practice

Over the past few decades, the practice of nursing has gone through fundamental changes

departing from the traditional practices to more robust methodologies that are patient-centered.

Positive patient outcome has been recognized as the key goal and the driving factor in

establishing practices that lead towards the realization of this goal. In this regard, there has been
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a shift from exceedingly focusing on the creation of knowledge, towards transformation of

knowledge to clinically usable form. The knowledge can then be effectively used to the entire

health care within systems content. This new development referred to as evidence-based practice

(EBP) continues to echo across various spheres including education and sciences. The

underlying factor in the continued calls for EBP is the need to provide health care that is

characterized by safety, efficiency, and effectiveness.

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Ideally, EBP involves careful and systematic incorporation of three major elements in

improving patients’ healthcare experience and the ultimate outcomes. These elements include

clinical expertise, research, and patient preference. Clinical expertise is the knowledge that

nurses have accumulated through their years of education and practice; this knowledge is
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important as it sets the foundation on which the other two elements are based. Research

encompasses systematic studies that are centered on discovering meanings and new

methodologies that can improve health care. Patient preference is concerned with putting into

consideration what the patient prefers (Davies, 2011). The nurse has to consider various factors
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such as religious, cultural, and personal beliefs that characterize the patient. Just like a

psychologist, the duty of a nurse is to improve a patient’s quality of life and to ensure that his or
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her well-being is enhanced. To achieve that objective, the nurse has to gather sufficient

information from the patient to make an informed treatment decision.

Additionally, as the field of nursing continues to evolve, adopting evidence-based

medical approach helps in providing patients with holistic health care services. Therefore, it is

critical that nurses are adequately equipped to relate to their patients and gather information that

will help them to establish accurate diagnosis and provide the right treatment. Nurses should be
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able to use evidence-based diagnosis methods to diagnose and treat patients with chronic and

acute illnesses and to determine the correct regimen.

The theoretical framework of evidence-based medical practices is founded on the need to

provide patient-centered health care. This approach is intended to ensure patient safety and

guarantee a satisfactory healthcare experience. It is noteworthy that since the inception of this

health care approach, evidence-based treatment processes have not only improved health care
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outcomes but have also greatly enhanced the profession of nursing by bringing out the best in

nurses by broadening them to their fullest potential.

At the core of evidence-based, nursing practices is quality health care. Quality health care

is the overarching goal on which patient safety is founded. The Institute of Medicine (IOM)
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considers the safety of a patient inseparable from the delivery of high-quality health care.

According to IOM, quality is an optimal equilibrium between possibilities realized and a

framework of values and norms (Polit & Beck, 2012). Therefore, it can be inferred that quality is

constructed based on the interaction among relevant players who set the standards and
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components. Based on this definition, it is important to note that standard setting is the first step

in achieving high-quality patient health care. Advocates of evidence-based practices have

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continually stressed the high rates of medically incomprehensible practice variation and the

significance of privileging data over applying judgment in clinic practices.

The goal of standardizing health care is to achieve optimum implementation of clinical

procedures and guidelines that can guarantee patient safety and high-quality health care. To

achieve this goal, it is important that nurses streamline medication administration processes and

ensure that diagnosis and treatment are based on infallible evidence. In such an environment, it
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will be possible for nurses and medical entities in particular to make policies that are based on

factual data to achieve their main objective, which is to provide satisfactory health care services.

To promote evidence-based nursing practices, nurses and patients should work together

in order to determine what works, under what conditions, and for whom. This ensures that when

treatments are used as intended, they will have the desired outcomes. To achieve this objective, it

is important that an entity adopts policies that promote staff engagement. The culture of the
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hospital should ensure that staff motivation and working enthusiasm are always kept at

maximum levels. It is noteworthy that an entity that keeps employees who are less motivated

may not achieve its long-term goals. It may also be unable to retain these employees as they

leave in search of a more engaging working environment. Annual core competencies programs
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that are designed to keep the employees informed on current medical trends can guarantee that

nurses are kept motivated. According to the publication of The Future of Nursing, four key

points were laid out. Firstly, that a nurse should practice to his/her fullest educational ability.

Secondly, that for a nurse to achieve his/her highest level of competence, continual education
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must be provided. Thirdly, that nurses and physicians should be able to work together. Fourthly,

that good data collection is the key to great patient outcomes (Hood, 2013, p.1). The entity can

also create unit practice councils to champion for the needs of nurses within the entity.
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Implementation of these medical approaches not only provides safe patient atmosphere,

but increases cost effectiveness, leads to positive patient outcomes, and decreases the number of

medical errors annually. Additionally, quality and performance improvement initiatives are

driving significant changes in the U.S. healthcare system. The speed of introduction of these

changes has been increasing with anticipation of the complete implementation of the national

health reform within the next few years. The goals of these undertakings reflect the National
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Quality Strategy's three goals that originated from the triple aim of the Institute for Healthcare

Improvement: patient care experience improvement, population health improvement, and health

care cost reduction (Weston & Roberts, 2013, p.495).

As noted from the foregoing, the field of nursing has greatly evolved and so have the

complexities in the healthcare industry. These developments call for new methods and

procedures for delivering high-quality health care that is effective. In this regard, it is required of
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nurses to be perceptive and smart just as they are compassionate and caring. Evidence-based

practice is indeed one of the primary milestones in the field of nursing. It is a problem-solving

tool that is used in clinical and administrative practices to assist health care providers and

administrators in making appropriate informed decisions about the patients' health care
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procedures that will generate positive outcomes. Additionally, EBP can be viewed as the primary

guide that the health care providers use to personalize patients’ care according to the identified

needs. EBP recognizes that scientific evidence-based research and expert opinion are critical

tools for improving patient care. Studies indicate that research is fundamental in providing
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effective care to patients and realizing positive outcomes.
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References

Davies, K. S. (2011). Formulating The Evidence Based Practice Question: A Review of The

Frameworks. Evidence Based Library and Information Practice, 6(2), 75–80.

Hood, L. (2013). Leddy & Pepper's Conceptual Bases of Professional Nursing. Philadelphia: Lippincott

Williams & Wilkins.

Polit, D. F., & Beck, C. T. (2012). Nursing Research: Generating And Assessing Evidence for
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Nursing Practice (Laureate Education, Inc., custom ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott

Williams & Wilkins.

Weston, M., & Roberts, D. W. (2013). The Influence of Quality Improvement Efforts on Patient

Outcome and Nursing Work: A Perspective from Chief Nursing Officers at Three Large Health

Systems. The Online Journal of Issues on Nursing.

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