Javiera Vega
Study Consultant At Gradehacker
- 4 min read
- November, 2023
Why is Evidence-Based Practice so Important for Nurses?
To understand why Evidence-Based Practice is so valuable for nursing students, you need to understand:
- What is Evidence-Based Practice
- Why it's important
- The process behind it
- The difference between Evidence-Based Practice and researching
- Things to have in mind when implementing this practice
- The benefits and challenges nurses face when implementing it
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Evidence-based practice is a crucial approach that plays a vital role in nursing.
It involves integrating the best available research evidence with the nurse’s clinical expertise and the patient’s preferences and values to make informed decisions about patient care.
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That’s why we’re going in-depth on what evidence-based medicine is about and its value for nurses.
What's Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing?
Evidence-Based Practice (also known as EBP) is an approach where research findings are applied In a way that helps you improve your patient care or clinical decision-making.
The idea is to stop using old practices that don’t lead to high-quality professional service and start implementing updated scientific evidence, which is guided by research, data, and proven effective strategies.
During the implementation, all decisions require peer-reviewed sources. Any study, article, or journal you use as evidence must go through a review process and get expert opinions.
You can typically find this content in your college library, as it follows specific guidelines. However, you can also explore reputable databases such as:
- EBSCO
- CINAHL
- MEDLINE
or online medical journals like the American Nurse Today.
In short, it is a group of elements comprising the best scientific practice, clinical experience, and patient values.
Here’s a visual representation:
Why is Evidence-Based Practice Important for Nurses?
For example, you might have a great idea to improve the education patients receive about their anxiety levels in the emergency room.
That sounds beneficial, but can you prove that it will work? How do you convince your supervisor or the hospital board that this is a good idea?
You need evidence, and that’s when you must put together all your thoughts to show that your plan will work.
Nurses are always in the middle of the action, and decisions have to be made every day.
However, when it comes to improving the quality of the treatment that your patients receive or the way your colleagues work, that decision is not only up to you.
You have to talk with other people involved, stakeholders who have the influence and authority to approve your initiative’s changes.
Showing them enough evidence, planning, and compromise with your proposal will make them see that you are taking a practical course of action to deliver the best care possible to others.
Objective of Evidence-Based Practice
One of the nursing education’s objectives is to promote enough clinical practice to ensure you can be the best care provider possible.
EBP might seem like an unnecessary process to follow.
However, once you start to work with more individual patients and see more and more clinical problems, you will notice that you can be the one who can begin a much-needed change in the nursing practice.
Since healthcare must constantly seek better care and improvement, one way you can contribute is by proposing a high-quality positive change through an evidence-based practice (EBP) proposal.
What are the Steps in the Evidence-Based Practice Process?
When attending your classes, you will realize that implementing an EBP initiative requires completing a series of steps.
- Identify: find that aspect that needs improvement. Make an accurate assessment of the situation
- Research: check for relevant research literature (peer-reviewed and reliable journals, articles, or books)
- Evaluate: are these sources reliable? Do others review them? Always look for high-quality literature that supports your idea.
- Choose interventions: think about the best way to implement your idea and keep tabs on how it develops.
- Evaluate: check if your initiative was successful. Review data and documents and be sure to include any revisions or changes. Summarize the results.
- Disseminate: others might find your idea and results helpful because they face the same issues.
At the very first stage, while you identify areas of improvement, you must make a PICOT question about the population, intervention, comparison, outcomes, and time applied to your initiative.
Then when you think about the best way to implement your ideas, create educational initiatives, improve protocols, and negotiate with stakeholders to get more budget. Put your ideas into action!
You can add to the existing literature on the study subject and promote good practices among your colleagues.
Here you can see a simplified visual representation of the whole process.
Is Evidence-Based Practice the Same as Research?
EBP involves research, but it’s one small part of the entire process, and they both have different purposes.
Researchers want to acquire new knowledge or validate existing ones. On the other hand, It takes all levels of evidence to make the right decisions that benefit patients and medical institutions.
We can then say EBP implementation takes a step further than research because it puts all that knowledge into action.
Implementing Evidence-Based Practice Process in Nursing
It’s not enough to know the steps of the EBP process. You must also put them into practice. That means doing all the research, planning, and paperwork that is necessary to make sure your initiative succeeds.
Here are some tips for getting started:
- Be organized: Create a timeline and write down any tasks that must be completed.
- Set realistic expectations: It may take months or even years to make your EBP initiative successful
- Involve stakeholders: Make sure you involve other health professionals, such as doctors, nurses, administrators, and patients, in the process.
- Use available resources: Use technology and resources such as databases, journals, or conferences.
- Remain up-to-date: Keep up with current evidence-based practices in your field and learn from others.
- Be persistent: Even if you don't succeed at first, don't give up. Keep trying different approaches until you find the right one.
Benefits of Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing
Evidence-based practice is an invaluable tool for nurses. It helps ensure better patient outcomes, saves money, and encourages collaboration between healthcare providers, giving some benefits such as:
- Improved quality of care: EBP practices help ensure patients receive the best care based on current research and evidence.
- Decreased healthcare costs: Implementing EBP can help reduce errors and improve outcomes, lowering healthcare costs.
- Increased collaboration: By involving all stakeholders in the process, nurses can build relationships and foster a culture of collaboration between providers.
- Improved patient outcomes: This improves patient outcomes based on the most up-to-date information.
- Increased job satisfaction: As a nurse, you'll feel more confident in providing the best care possible for your patients.
Challenges of Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing
Although evidence-based practice benefits nurses and patients, some challenges come with it. Here are some of the obstacles that nurses may face when implementing EBP:
- Time limitations: EBP practices can take a lot of time and effort, making it difficult for busy nurses to keep up with current research and evidence.
- Lack of resources: It can be challenging for nurses to access the resources needed to stay up-to-date with current evidence-based practices.
- Lack of support from the administration: Without proper support and funding from their administration, nurses may find it hard to implement EBP.
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Create Positive Outcomes for Your Practices with EBP
The implementation of Evidence-Based Practice is an essential part of nursing.
By following the steps outlined in this article, you can ensure that your proposal will be successful and that it will have the desired effect on improving patient care.
Still, if you need personalized assistance or one-on-one guidance for your classes, you can contact us to solve all your concerns and start enjoying your educational journey!
If you want to stay informed on the best hacks for your nursing career, check these blogs:
Javiera Vega
Javiera Vega is a Study Consultant and Content Creator for Gradehacker. She has a degree in Education and Literature and is currently working on getting a master’s degree in Linguistics. Even though words, languages, and books are her thing, science and psychology were her hidden passion for many years. Luckily, Gradehacker has allowed her to use all that knowledge by helping many clients with everything they need. Javiera considers herself a proud nerd who likes to learn and read about everything she can find. From movies and comics to microbiology and genetics, every topic is interesting for her. Her curiosity has no limits. Find her on LinkedIn