NURS 3743: Evidence Based Nursing Practice
Criteria for EBP Essay: The Role of EBP & Research in Nursing Practice
Required Elements of the Paper
1. Title page
In header Page number and running head
Title, author’s name, and university affiliation
2. Introduction
Introduce the topic and the purpose of the paper.
3. Body of the Paper
A. Overview of Evidence-based Practice:
a. Explain the EBP Paradigm ie., the importance from moving from a “opinion-based practice” to “evidence-based practice”.
b. Explain the steps of the EBP process.
B. Discuss the value that EBP has in the clinical setting to:
a. Health care providers
b. Patient outcomes
c. Health care institutions
4. Summary of paper. Summary of paper should reflect on the clinical significance of the EBP in nursing practice.
References: Use APA 6th edition.
Page Limit: No more than 4 pages; limit does not include the title page and the reference page(s).
Font and Margins: Times Roman 12 point font with 1-inch margins
See Grading Rubric for Details on scoring
Rubric for Evidence-based Practice Essay
Total Possible Score 10 points
Student Name: Total Score:
This section has no points: It is to clarify the scoring for the categories. Describes the intellectual standards for writing. Paper meets criteria in an exemplary manor. Well organized, clearly articulated, of sufficient depth /detailed for reader to understand the discussion; flows logically for reader to follow discussion; demonstrates original and creative thinking, information is accurate and relevant; paragraphs have a topic sentence and supporting sentences; paragraph transitions are present and flow smoothly; examples support argument and enhance clarity are accurate and relevant; sufficiently supported with references. Few grammatical and spelling errors. Paper meets criteria with minimal problems with organization, clarity of thought, good paragraph and/or sentence structure; often demonstrates original thinking; information is accurate and relevant; provides modest support for argument and positions taken; paragraphs have a topic sentence and supporting sentences; paragraph transitions present; occasional grammatical and spelling errors. Paper is meets the criteria, but has problems with lack of organization, clarity of thought, good paragraph and/or sentence structure. Demonstrates some original thinking and support for positions taken; information is rarely inaccurate and irrelevant; paragraphs frequently have a topic sentence and supporting sentences; paragraph transitions are occasionally missing; occasional grammatical and spelling errors. Paper lacks clarity, is not well organized or lacks logical flow of thoughts; does not thoroughly address criteria; few references used to support any discussion or argument; information is inaccurate and irrelevant; paragraphs often lack a topic sentence and supporting sentences; paragraph transitions are missing; excessive use of passive voice. Numerous grammatical and spelling errors.
Score to be used for each of the six sections below: 2 1.85 1.70 1.55
Introduction Introduction is exemplary; it clearly and logically presents the issue. It is creative, provides strong support for the argument, and catches the interest of the reader. Appropriate grammar, spelling and punctuation (rare error) Introduction presents the issue clearly; it is creative and offers relevant, and logical support for the topic. Occasional grammar, spelling and punctuation (< 3 errors). Introduction presents the issue, but lacks creativity and strong support for the topic. Occasional grammar, spelling and punctuation (< 6 errors). Broad, general, vague, disorganized.
Grammar, spelling and punctuation (> 6 errors)
Body of Paper I:
A. Overview of EBP:
a. Explain the EBP Paradigm ie., the importance from moving from a “opinion-based practice” to “evidence-based practice”.
b. Explain the steps of EBP process. Overview of the EBP paradigm and process is exemplary; it is accurate, clear, of sufficient depth, and is supported with references. It demonstrates independent, original, and creative thinking.
Appropriate grammar, spelling and punctuation (rare error) Overview of the EBP paradigm and process is accurate, clear, and is supported with references. It frequently demonstrates independent, original, and creative thinking.
Appropriate grammar, spelling and punctuation (< 3 errors) Overview of the EBP paradigm and process is accurate, but sometimes lacks clarity and support from references. It demonstrates some independent, original, and creative thinking.
Appropriate grammar, spelling and punctuation (< 6 errors) Overview reflects a lack of understanding of the EBP paradigm and process. Lacks organization, independent thinking; limited references,
Problems with grammar, spelling and punctuation (> 6 errors)
Body of Paper II:
C. Discuss the value that EBP has in the clinical setting to:
a. Health care provider
b. Patient outcomes
c. Health care institution
Discussion of the value of EBP to clinical setting is exemplary; it is accurate, clear, of sufficient depth, and is supported with references. It demonstrates independent, original, and creative thinking.
Appropriate grammar, spelling and punctuation (rare error) Discussion of the value of EBP to clinical setting is accurate, clear, and is supported with references. It frequently demonstrates independent, original, and creative thinking.
Appropriate grammar, spelling and punctuation (< 3 errors) Discussion of the value of EBP to clinical setting is accurate, but sometimes lacks clarity and support from references. It demonstrates some independent, original, and creative thinking.
Appropriate grammar, spelling and punctuation (< 6 errors) Discussion of the value of EBP to clinical setting reflects a lack of understanding of the value of EBP. Lacks organization, independent thinking; limited references,
Problems with grammar, spelling and punctuation (> 6 errors)
Summary of Paper:
Summary of paper summarizes why EBP is important to nursing and good patient care. The summary is clearly articulated, logical deduced from the paper and is of sufficient depth.
Appropriate grammar, spelling and punctuation (rare error). The summary is clearly articulated, logical deduced from the paper, but lacks sufficient depth.
Appropriate grammar, spelling and punctuation (< 3 errors). The summary is often clearly articulated, logical deduced from the paper, but lacks sufficient depth.
Appropriate grammar, spelling and punctuation (< 6 errors). Summary is brief, lacks clarity and does not reflect content of the paper.
Grammar, spelling and punctuation (> 6 errors).
In-text citations, page limit not including title page, and reference list.
All in-text citations and references reflect APA style (rare error);
4 page limit met. Most of the in-text citations and references reflect APA style (<3 errors);
4 page limit met. Many of the in-text citations and references reflect APA style (<6errors);
4 page limit not met (more or less than 4 pages) In-text citations and references do not adhere to APA (>6 errors); less than 4 page limit.
Date:
Comments:
The Role of EBP & Research in Nursing Practice
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliations
The Role of EBP & Research in Nursing Practice
Nurses have received training that provides them with the skills and knowledge to provide person-centered care and treatment to patients and their families. According to Li et al. (2019), nurses handle patients’ issues with varied complexities. To effectively address these issues, they must engage in critical thinking and be able to analyze complex situations before settling on the best actions to take to improve patient outcomes. Nurses combine their clinical expertise with knowledge acquired from professional practice and evidence obtained through research to ensure that patients and families receive quality and safe care (Li et al., 2019). Melnyk et al. (2016) define evidence-based practice (EBP) as the application of the best available evidence to make clinical decisions and provide efficient and effective care to patients on the basis of science. The purpose of this paper is to describe the role of EBP and research in nursing practice. The author of the paper will cover an overview of evidence-based practice with an explanation of the EBP paradigm and the EBP process. It will also address the value of EBP to healthcare providers, patient outcomes, and health care institutions.
- Overview of Evidence-based Practice
- The EBP Paradigm
EBP paradigm entails movement from an “opinion-based practice” to “evidence-based practice.” The Institute of Medicine (IOM) pointed out the need to change from making common care decisions by integrating current knowledge to improve the health care delivery process and patient outcomes (Correa-de-Araujo, 2016). Therefore, one of the importance of the EBP paradigm is that it enables healthcare providers to improve clinical decision-making by combining what they already know with research evidence to inform clinical practice. EBP paradigm also offers healthcare providers an opportunity to move health care to greater heights with the goal of producing the desired health outcomes (Li et al., 2019). The best way to keep patients satisfied is by providing care that adequately addresses their health needs and improves outcomes. Therefore, by moving from opinion-based to evidence-based practice, healthcare organizations are able to provide care that adequately satisfies the health needs of their patients (Melnyk et al., 2016).
The importance of the EBP paradigm clearly comes out in the definition of healthcare quality. Melnyk and Fineout-Overholt (2019) define quality healthcare as the type of care that is aligned with current professional knowledge. To ensure that patients across healthcare settings are able to receive uniform and quality care, healthcare regulatory agencies have developed clinical practice guidelines that are aimed to direct clinical decision-making. These guidelines are developed using current research evidence. Therefore, the EBP paradigm serves as a framework for standardizing healthcare based on scientific evidence (Melnyk et al., 2016). This helps to reduce variations in clinical practice thereby enhancing the delivery of quality health care.
- The Steps of the EBP Process
Nurses need to understand and follow the steps of the EBP process to be able to improve clinical practice and patient outcomes. Melnyk and Fineout-Overholt (2019) have described the EBP process steps that nurses are required to understand. The initial step of the EBP process is to develop a spirit of inquiry with the aim of addressing an existing practice problem. This is followed by the development of a research question in the Population (P), Intervention (I), Comparison (C), Outcome (O), and Time (T) format. The next step is to research databases to locate literature with related evidence that can be used to answer the research question (Polit & Beck, 2018). This is followed by a critical evaluation of articles to identify the most relevant studies with the best evidence to answer the research question.
After locating the best evidence, the subsequent step is to combine it with clinical expertise and implement it with patients. This is followed by the evaluation of patients’ outcomes to establish whether EBP changes have generated any benefits (Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt, 2019; Polit & Beck, 2018). The final step of the EBP process is to share the outcomes of EBP implementation with stakeholders either internally through poster presentations and conferences or externally by publishing in a nursing journal (Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt, 2019). There exist a number of models that serve to direct nurses through the steps of the EBP process.
- The Value of EBP in the Clinical Setting
- Health Care Providers
Healthcare providers find EBP to be of great value. Through EBP, healthcare providers are able to make clinical decisions that are informed by best practice evidence. Healthcare providers play a crucial role in the protection of patients’ safety and the delivery of quality health care to patients (Correa-de-Araujo, 2016). They also have a duty to provide care that is aligned with the ethical codes of conduct. EBP guides healthcare providers to select and implement interventions that are safe, beneficial, and ethical (Li et al., 2019). In this manner, they are able to effectively fulfill their roles in the lives of patients and families.
- Patient outcomes
EBP is of great value in clinical settings due to its ability to improve patient outcomes. EBP links healthcare interventions to targeted health problems thereby improving patient outcomes. According to Melnyk et al. (2016), EBP is triggered by a gap in clinical practice which acts as the problem that should be addressed through research-based evidence. The authors further assert that research generates the best evidence with the capacity to change the health status of patients. Therefore, the application of EBP to the healthcare delivery process increases the likelihood of addressing patients’ health problems at the individual level thereby enhancing the realization of the improved patient outcomes.
- Health Care Institutions
EBP defines the image of health care institutions by determining their performance in the industry. Essentially, health care organizations whose cultures are built on EBP are able to achieve high quality and safety ratings and tend to perform better than others in the industry (Correa-de-Araujo, 2016). Medical facilities that lay emphasis on EBP strive to limit variations in the care that is provided by their employees by developing standardized health policies and clinical practice procedures that are informed by best practice evidence. This promotes the delivery of healthcare services that minimize costs, maximize efficiency, enhance patient satisfaction, and improve outcomes (Correa-de-Araujo, 2016). The overall impact is improved performance, increased efficiency, and enhanced reputation.
Summary
Contemporary nurses should embrace EBP by applying the best available evidence to make clinical decisions and provide efficient and effective care to patients on the basis of science. Movement from opinion-based to evidence-based practice enables healthcare institutions to standardize clinical practice. Besides, it allows healthcare providers to deliver person-centered health care that matches patients’ preferences and adequately addresses their health needs. Most importantly, EBP enables patients to receive quality and safe care. Nurses need to understand and follow the steps of the EBP process steps to be able to improve clinical practice and patient outcomes.
References
Correa-de-Araujo, R. (2016). Evidence-based practice in the United States: Challenges, progress, and future directions. Health Care for Women International, 37(1): 2–22. doi: 10.1080/07399332.2015.1102269.
Li, S., Cao, M., & Zhu, X. (2019). Evidence-based practice: Knowledge, attitudes, implementation, facilitators, and barriers among community nurses-systematic review. Medicine, 98(39), e17209. https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000017209.
Melnyk, B. M., Gallagher‐Ford, L., Thomas, B. K., Troseth, M., Wyngarden, K., & Szalacha, L. (2016). A study of chief nurse executives indicates low prioritization of evidence‐based practice and shortcomings in hospital performance metrics across the United States. Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, 13, 6-14. doi: 10.1111/wvn.12133.
Melnyk, B. & Fineout-Overholt, E. (2019). Evidenced based practice in nursing and healthcare a guide to best practice (4th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Walters Kluwer.
Polit, D. F., & Beck, C. T. (2018). Nursing research: Generating and assessing evidence for nursing practice (10th ed.). Retrieved from vitalsource.