EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE IN PROFESSIONAL NURSING PRACTICE

An Investigation on How Evidence-based Practice can be

Integrated into Professional Nursing Practice

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Introduction

The profession of nursing is a highly sensitive field. Correct and stringent study and guidance are both integral factors that must be satisfied before putting all and every facet of this profession into practice. Research findings are expected to be incorporated fruitfully into such professional practices. Most health care organizations around the world have begun to create methods to support the process of information translation towards an improved and more professional nursing practice.

Previously, the term 'evidence-based practice' was known as 'evidence-based medicine'. This was the result of the identification of scientific evidence in clinical decision-making. Various definitions of evidence-based practice have been mentioned. According to definition, evidence-based practice (EBP) is, “the practice of health care in which the practitioner systematically finds, appraises, and uses the most current and valid research findings as the basis for clinical decisions”

There are five basic stages that must be completed prior to the incorporation of evidence based practice into a final performance. The five stages are:

The Question: The first stage is to recognize the need of new information. The need of this information has to be transformed into an answerable question. It is a must to take care of the objectivity of all information that is gathered.

Finding the Evidence: The second stage in evidence-based practice is choosing the right evidence. It is of primary importance, as no mistake must be allowed in practical implementation. Any issues with the accuracy of evidence will jeopardize the final practice.

Appraisal: In order to determine the validity and potential usefulness of evidence, there is a need for a critical appraisal.

Acting on Evidence: Once it has been concluded that the evidence is of sound quality, one has to decide the incorporation of the evidence into his clinical practice.

Evaluation and Reflection: This is a fundamental part of nursing practice. In evaluation and reflection, it is essential to verify whether the action taken has achieved the desire results or not.

The first stage is essentially a practice in knowledge generation, where information is discovered by a scientific inquiry and a traditional research. This knowledge is then summarized and transformed into useful and informative data. This ultimately leads toward the most credible results. Then, this evidence is transformed into practical recommendations and integrated into practice.

High quality professional nursing care is ...