Evidence-based practice is now an essential aspect of healthcare, where clinical decisions are made using the best research evidence available. Since the healthcare field is tackling new viruses and diseases every year, the relevance of evidence-based practice is further increasing.
This approach to healthcare provision involves using clinical experience, skills, and training while considering the patient’s needs and values. Evidence-based practices use clinical reasoning to make decisions regarding the patient’s well-being, thereby providing the most effective care possible.
This article outlines how evidence-based practice is employed in nursing practice and benefits both patients and nurses.
Why is evidence-based practice important?
Evidence-based practice gives healthcare providers an outline for the best possible healthcare delivery practices to improve patient outcomes. When seeking healthcare, patients expect to be cared for using the best available methods based on clinical research and reasoning. Thus, as healthcare providers, it is the responsibility of nurses to ensure that all practices are supported by the best evidence available.
Evidence-based practices are based on findings from multiple clinical pieces of research and are backed by expert opinions and experiences. Nowadays, eLearning programs instill research skills in nurses that enable them to apply evidence, theory, and research to enhance healthcare delivery. Specifically, nurses opting for a family nurse practitioner or geriatric career can benefit from these programs. Nursing students in the master’s program learn the importance of research and its application in clinical practice. Evidence-based practices in a healthcare system require practitioners to know the terms used in clinical research and the research methods. It allows nurses to adapt to the most current clinical guidelines and apply them to real-world cases, including acute patient care.
Nurses’ immense clinical knowledge can further modify current healthcare practices to enhance patient outcomes.
What is evidence-based practice in nursing?
A problem-solving approach is promoted in nursing, encouraging nurses to provide care tailored to each individual. Evidence-based practices in nursing involve a combination of clinical research evidence, clinical expertise, and the patient’s choices. Following such an approach to healthcare enables nurses to be more dynamic and precise in their care delivery practices, maximizing their clinical judgments. Evidence-based practices provide nurses with the guidelines to keep track of all recent technological and healthcare advances in nursing care.
With evidence-based clinical practices, nurses bridge the gap between extensive medical research and its in-hospital application. Doing so allows nurses to provide standardized care, reduce the probability of medical errors, and significantly alter healthcare practices. And that benefits both the patients and the healthcare institution.
How can nurses apply evidence-based practices in their care?
According to the American Medical Association, for the practical application of evidence-based practices in nursing, nurses must have the skillset to identify loopholes and gaps in clinical knowledge. Additionally, they must be able to form appropriate clinical questions, conduct relevant literature searches, determine the validity of studies, apply research findings, and involve patients in decision-making. Following clinical decision-making, nurses must also evaluate the results and how beneficial their care was for the patient.
To make clinical decisions concerning evidence-based practices, nurses must consider the following components:
- Best evidence: nurses must analyze and assess which evidence best suits their clinical case, backed by robust scientific research.
- Clinical experience: personal clinical experiences should be considered for sound clinical judgments.
- Patient’s needs and values: the opinions, beliefs, and preferences must be considered to provide patient-centered care.
According to the Journal of the Medical Library Association, the adaptation of evidence-based practice is a process that encompasses several steps. Once a clinical judgment has been made, studying the effectiveness of the applied course of action is also of significance. Nurses can then draw on their experience and further improve their care for achieving the best possible patient outcomes. When following the principles of evidence-based care, nurses can make optimal clinical decisions by integrating the most reliable research and evidence in their care delivery practices. It enables nurses to follow a more holistic and patient-centered approach to care delivery.
How do evidence-based practices benefit nurses and patients?
Evidence-based practices allow nurses to stay in touch with the developments in scientific research. They can upgrade their clinical knowledge and be informed of all new protocols for effective patient management. By continually searching for best practices based on recent developments, nurses raise the chances of recovery of their patients.
With adherence to the latest research in their clinical practices, nurses can understand and assess the effectiveness of their diagnostic processes and treatment regimens. Evidence-based practices encourage nurses to develop a strong relationship with their patients, making them feel more involved in their care delivery practices. Patients can thus have a direct role in their healthcare. They can effectively share their apprehensions and values and help guide nurses on how they want their care to proceed.
Putting the patient’s needs first is the hallmark of patient-centered care, and ensuring it is the nurses’ responsibility. Evidence-based practices thus enable nurses to weigh the preferences of each patient and tailor a care delivery plan according to the patient’s expectations. Therefore, prioritizing the needs of the patients allow consideration of the patient’s desires, enabling a more patient-centered approach to healthcare delivery.
Furthermore, evidence-based guidelines allow nurses to be more precise in their care. Specific needs of the patients are readily catered to without engaging in processes that are of no proven significance to the patient’s health. A streamlined and dynamic care delivery process based on clinical evidence helps nurses save time and ensure the best possible care to their patients.
Health delivery practices backed by clinical research and expert opinions ensure a positive patient outcome, reducing the increasing demand for health resources across the globe. As a result, healthcare institutions can cut down on heavy expenses by limiting procedures not backed by evidence or necessary.
Conclusion
It is widely accepted among all areas of healthcare that practices based on clinical research findings play an indispensable role in improving patient outcomes. Evidence-based practices save patients from suboptimal care. It ensures that nurses are equipped with the clinical knowledge required to make clinical judgments, making them more competent and confident. Healthcare is a dynamic field that continues to change. Only those practitioners will effectively cater to evidence-based practitioners who accommodate changes in their clinical practices.