Evidence-Based Practice Should Be the Standard for Nurses Globally - Essay Example

Evidence-Based Practice Should be the Standard for Nurses Globally Evidence-based practice (EBP) is the best approach to patient care that needs to be held as the standard practice for nurses. EBP integrates all the integral components of an effective treatment while showing concern for the patient, being abreast with the latest information in patient care, maximizing the hospital’s limited resources and utilizing the nurse’s own expertise. EBP is implemented in most hospitals and clinics here in America and the positive effect of EBP is not only seen here but is revolutionizing patient care internationally. EBP should be adapted in all hospitals and by every nurse and healthcare professional around the world so that patient care will be improved for all. Keywords: Evidence-based practice, EBP, patient care Evidence-Based Practice Should be the Standard for Nurses Globally Nurses like all healthcare professionals have the responsibility and privilege of providing the best possible care for their patients in order to quickly relieve them of their illness or at the very least, make their lives more comfortable despite having a particular disease or physical handicap. Getting the best patient outcome in the least amount of time can be achieved through many different ways; however, there are a lot of considerations that needs to be factored in before taking on a course of treatment for a patient. Evidence-based Practice (EBP) is an integrative and dynamic approach to patient care that has been proven effective in many different hospitals and on thousands of patients from around the world. Because of its successes, EBP should be used as the standard for patient care for nurses both here and abroad. A. Why nurses need to adapt EBP There has been a significant increase in the amount of healthcare literature generated all around the world. Every year, millions of dollars get channeled into funding for these endeavors. These literary resources were primarily developed in order to find new or improve the techniques, equipment, and nurse’s or other health care professional’s approach to be used in providing the best possible care and or treatment for patients (Majid et al., 2011). Research and nursing literature are not the only source of knowledge that can be applied to make patient care better. The experience acquired by nurses in the conduct of their profession can also contribute greatly in making decisions on the best method to be implemented for a patient’s treatment. The decision making process for patient care should also be in accordance with local and international standards, as well as take into consideration the individual needs, and values of the patient. Evidence-based practice integrates all these considerations and options into nursing that ultimately translates to better patient outcomes and lower cost of treatment. EBP according to French (1999) and Coopey et al. (2006) pertains to the “application of the best evidence in clinical decision-making by integrating clinical expertise with recent research findings, while taking into consideration the values and preferences of patients.” (as cited in Eizenberg, 2011) Using EBP as the standard practice for nurses in any healthcare setting ensures that the patients receive the latest and best available option for treatment and the best patient care as proven and backed by years of experience and research. Nurses will also be abreast with all the latest techniques which will immensely impact their skills and widen their options with regards to the specialization and/or designation they would like to pursue. Furthermore, EBP also benefits the institution that employs these nurses for EBP also provides a way to a more cost efficient treatment so that the limited resources of a hospital or clinic can be stretched allowing them to provide aid for more people in need of medical attention. B. The Importance of getting nurses to understand research methods in implementing EBP EPB implementation requires the following steps: (1) creation of a query that will give the most appropriate response or course of action; (2) performance of a systematic search of literature or clinical guidelines in order to get the most pertinent information related to the problem and its solution; (3) thorough assessment of the information (evidence) obtained for its reliability, context, and practicality; (4) assimilation of evidence gathered through research with nurse’s own clinical expertise and patient’s beliefs and preferences to create and implement a suitable treatment; and (5) evaluation of the treatment outcomes (as cited in Eizenberg, 2011). The process of nursing through EBP is evidently patterned from the scientific method which is at the core of doing any study or research. When adapting EBP, nurses should be able to understand statistical analysis and interpret results from different studies in order to glean the relevant information they need for a patient’s treatment. When a nurse learns how to interpret the trends presented on research journals, he or she will find step 4 of EBP conduct easy. Expressing the data gathered in step 5 through the use of statistics and with the aid of appropriate graphs and figures will make the data a good reference for him- or herself, other nurses, and other healthcare professionals in the future. Understanding research methods also includes regular monitoring of the patient’s condition and thorough records keeping. Complete data sets are important to truly evaluate the efficacy of the treatment implemented. Being methodical assures that the likelihood of mistakes is very minimal and if a problem does occur, it can easily be traceable through the gathered data and remedied quickly. Learning statistics, the research method, as well as the technical jargon of research papers might be daunting to many nurses and it is actually a deterrent to full adaptation of EBP (Eizenberg, 2011). The process will be arduous but with a well-designed training program, nurses will be able to understand and harness statistical and research tools to their and their patient’s benefit (Majid, et al., 2011). The successful implementation of EBP relies on the nurses themselves, because as long as they keep a positive attitude and nurture their hunger for learning, they will be able to effect positive changes in their patient’s treatment through EBP. Instead of treating the additional work load as a burden, it would be better to think of it as an investment for enriching one’s self while doing excellent service to the patients. C. The effects of EBP use on a global scale EBP has been long been implemented in almost all of the hospitals here in the US. Though adoption rates still needs a lot of improvement, many organizations are realizing that they need to implement this strategy for them to be able to provide better service for their patients (Eizenberg, 2011). Worldwide, adoption rates of EBP are increasing and there are many proofs that neither government policy nor national economic status is deterrent to the effective implementation of EBP in nursing. A 4-year study conducted in north east Scotland found that out-patients with coronary heart disease that got their treatment and follow-ups in nurse-led, evidence-based, secondary prevention clinics had a lower rate of mortality and fewer coronary events than patients who did not receive any form of secondary prevention (Murchie, Campbell, Ritchie, Simpson and Thain, 2003). The implementation of EBP in a hospital in Iran showed that the nurses that underwent the 3-month training and follow-up course for EBP showed great improvement in clinical practice for the assessment and care of people with diabetic foot ulcers (Varaei, Salsali, Cheraghi, Tehrani, and Heshmat, 2013). Providing the best patient care is a nurse’s duty and honor. Nurses, as well as all healthcare professionals need to do what is best for their patients, while balancing the needs of the institution they are working for. EBP make it possible for nurses to provide excellent quality care while maximizing the hospital’s funding. EBP also makes it possible for data to be gathered and studied easier for the continued improvement of techniques and procedures in clinical decision-making. EBP empowers nurses with the knowledge to have more impact on the treatment and well-being of their patients. As seen on previous examples, EBP is not for developed and economically stable countries only. It will work even in small hospitals or clinics in less privileged countries. The key to EBP’s adaptation and successful implementation is in the attitude of the nurses and healthcare professionals that will be adapting this new and better standard of patient care. References Eizenberg, M. M. (2010). Implementation of evidence-based nursing practice: nurses’ personal and professional factors? Journal of Advanced Nursing. 67(1): 33-42 Majid, S., Foo, S., Luyt, B., Zhang, X., Theng, Y. L., Chang, Y. K., Mohktar, I. A. (2011). Adopting evidence-based practice in clinical decision making: nurses’ perceptions, knowledge, and barriers. Journal of the Medical Library Association. 99(3): 229-236 Murchie, P., Campbell, N. C., Ritchie, L. D., Simpson, J. A., Thain, J. (2003). Secndary prevention clinics for coronary heart disease: four year follow up of a randomized controlled trial in primary care. British Medical Journal. 326:84 Varaei, S., Salsali, M., Cheraghi, M. A., Tehrani, M. R. M., Heshmat, R. (2013). Education and implementing evidence-based nursing practice for diabetic patients. Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research. May-Jun; 18(3): 251-257 Read More