Evidence-Based Nursing and Research in Global Health Care - Essay Example

? Evidence-Based Practice and Overview Valerie Blemur Florida International NUR 3666 Evidence-Based Nursing and Research in Global Health Care September 4, 2012 Abstract Evidence-based practice is a crucial process in today’s nursing programs given the numerous advantages that it harbors not only for the patient but the nurse involved. It opens up the decision-making process, allows for wider consultations and provides precise treatment for the patients to utilize. The report herein will look at the significance of this approach and personal views regarding the same. Part A will deal with personal views on why the nurses need to use EBP in their everyday prognosis. Part B will discuss the significance of having research methods as part of a nurse’s training and its benefits to the nurse. Part C will deal with a real-case scenario that occurred and has featured in an article review. Part D will be a conclusion of all that has been discussed herein. Key terms: evidence-based practice, nursing, nursing practice Evidence-Based Practice It is imperative that nurses embrace evidence-based practice in their work. This allows for every individual to be conscientious, explicit and judicious in the use of what they can get on the case they are handling from the past and the present to make decisions. This will allow them to integrate individual clinical and educational skills with the very best available external clinical evidence. It will also enable the nurses to include their opinions, scientific proof and patient perspectives to provide high-quality services to reflect the interests of not only the clinicians but of their clients as well. As such, the use of this evidence-based practice (EBP) will also allow each nurse to incorporate different views into the diagnosis, thus, offering a wider array of options through which the client can successfully attain better health if they follow the advices given. The report herein will dwell on expounding on the importance of this practice from different quarters and provide some evidence of how this may be put into use for the benefit of the clients. Part A EBP is an important methodology through which nurses improve not only their skills but on their knowledge regarding the different possibilities that could lead to such diagnosis. Nurses who have embraced this type of practice always find it easy to deal with the patients since they are already aware of the prejudices that may impede communication between them (Huang, Hepburn and Espiritu, 2003). therefore, nurses find it easier to deal with different patients within different scenarios since they are already prepared following their extensive reading and research habits. As a result, each treatment session brings out new methods, symptoms and learning opportunities that the nurse could have only heard about from the research. However, putting this into practice allows the nurse to confidently reproduce the best results that are already researched upon from the past studies and testing (Penz and Bassendowski, 2006). EBP is important in improving the patient outcome since the clinician has already attained better skills, techniques and strategies that may have been lacking before. As a result, practitioners interact and exchange ideas that in broader context, allows for the core components of the larger intervention to be carried out (Huang, Hepburn and Espiritu, 2003). Consequently, it is important that nurses embrace this as a way of gaining the upper hand in ensuring that their patients achieve the best. Patients will also gain confidence in the health system and prefer them for their treatment rather than engage in over-the-counter medications. It will also improve the nurse's ability to select an intervention and evaluate their performance based on past and present research methods that have been certified by medical practitioners elsewhere (Penz and Bassendowski, 2006). Part B Nurses need to embrace this method in their practice. EBP offers a chance for each nurse to understand what past researches regarding their practice came up with during their studies. These studies always follow precautionary measures that enhance their viability for medical utilization. They have always followed guidelines that ensure they pursue required protocols and thus are humane in all aspects (Lang, 2004). Therefore, the results that emerge from these studies always follow the prerequisite procedures and thus can be trusted for use in any medical situation. However, the nurse will have to understand the different methods of determining the relevant studies and any further tests that have been done to ensure that they follow the most recent publications which have either supported the previous findings or which offer different methodologies to attain reliable information (Penz and Bassendowski, 2006). Nurses who do not have any training on the importance of research methods may waste a great deal of time which may hinder the efficiency of these findings in a real-life scenario. They will not be able to understand what strength the evidence they have found could have on their current situation, and thus, may end up using outdated methods during their treatment processes. It allows them to understand the significance of this evidence on their clinical practice and how they relate to their clients. Dealing with patients allows the clinician to also utilize the personal experiences in narrowing down the cause of the ailment and this may help in getting the most precise and accurate treatment or medication regime that will suit the patient in their present circumstances. With better training, they can also appraise the evidence and check for its validity and applicability in the current scenario (Lang, 2004). This means that they are able to sift through the breadth of information to get the most appropriate information suitable for their clients. They may then apply this to their clients with a better understanding and with proper training on how to integrate this evidence with their clinical expertise and the patient’s expectations. Proper training will also allow them to gauge their performance with follow-up being recommended as a way of maintaining their grasp on the patient’s history and health. They will also understand how to use research as a way of defining best practices, in addition to performing better use of the current practices. This will keep them abreast of the latest technological advances, while allowing them to take advantage of the new knowledge developments (Youngblut and Brooten, 2001). Part C As noted by researchers, the use of EBP in training and in the different attributes of the nursing profession has been quite on the rise since the early 1990’s. Researchers Holleman, Eliens, Van Vliet and Van Achterberg have reviewed several literatures and how the use of EBP has allowed them to improve on their decision-making and diagnosis periods (Holleman, Eliens, Van Vliet and Van Achterberg, 2006). They reviewed literature from different European countries and used searches that were in English, French and German to conclusively tackle this issue. They realized that EBP has been used by several organizations that are involved in making policies and implementation across several countries with the French having incorporated this in the treatment of different chronic diseases such as diabetes. They have also used it in the treatment and management of weight problems as well as nutrition as they incorporate new methods from their different studies into these treatment systems. As experts in their different professions, the clinicians have been intrinsically motivated to use EBP. This is based on the results they have witnessed after evaluating their relationship and performance with their patients (Holleman, Eliens, Van Vliet and Van Achterberg, 2006). This has positively affected their attitudes, skills and techniques which have improved over the last few years after embracing this method of diagnosis and treatment. Consequently, more patients have benefited from the new methodology as the professional organizations that handle the nurses’ and their welfare look into actively promoting EBP amongst its members (Holleman, Eliens, Van Vliet and Van Achterberg, 2006). The researchers also found out that more nurses were embracing this method and patients suffering from diabetes and weight problems had reported remarkable improvement. Furthermore, it has been discovered that nurses have been able to apply these methods to others who suffer from the same conditions. They noted that the use of behavior-oriented approaches and structure, social or financial approaches as a way of influencing measures may be explored further. Part D EBP is quite a critical approach that nurses need to embrace fully. As a professional, getting some back-up information and expounding on different terminologies helps in ensuring that each patient receives the best from the health facilities. As a nurse, using EBP helps in providing the most conscientious, judicious and explicit decisions based on the most current and best evidence research for each individual patient. It allows the nurse to incorporate both the clinical expertise and the patient’s values based on best available research evidence. It also allows the nurse to place the patient’s situation above all other interests and work on ensuring that they meet the minimum requirements for the said ailment. As a result of this, therefore, each nursing association should promote the use of EBP in their nursing centers. References Holleman, G., Eliens, A., Van Vliet, M., & Van Achterberg, T. (2006). Promotion of evidence- based practice by professional nursing associations: Literature review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 53: 702–709. Huang, L. N., Hepburn, K. S., & Espiritu, R. C. (2003). To Be or Not To Be…Evidence-Based? Data Matters, 6: 1-3. Lang, E. (2004). The why and the how of evidence-based medicine. McGill Journal of Medicine, 8:90-94. Penz, K. L., & Bassendowski, S.L. (2006). Evidence-Based Nursing in Clinical Practice: Implications for Nurse Educators. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 37(6): 250-254 Youngblut J. M., & Brooten, D. (2001). Evidence-based nursing practice: Why is it important? AACN Clin Issues. 12(4): 468-76. Read More