Improving Quality with Evidence: Equipping nurses to integrate research into practice
To describe the development and implementation of an EBP Nurse Scholars course. The course was designed to teach EBP skills that enable staff to conduct extensive evaluations of existing literature to improve patient care. The program provides a comprehensive overview of EBP, and essential components necessary for implementation of EBP in a clinical setting. During the course, EBP Scholars choose a policy or nursing practice requiring EBP evaluation and focus on reviewing the evidence for the policy update or practice change.
Rationale/Background
Nurses serve on the front line of health are, and have a unique opportunity to improve patient care through evidence-based practice. Best practice only results when staff continually ask questions about treatment and care, and have the resources and skills necessary to search for and appraise research evidence, implement it in practice, and evaluate its effectiveness. The staff nurse is a critical link in bringing research-based changes into clinical practice. However, experience preparing practicing nurses for EBP is limited.
Undertaking/best practice/approach/methods/process
Our hospital developed a 12-week project-based EBP Nurse Scholars course. The course provides nurses with a comprehensive overview of EBP, preparing them to frame clinical questions, perform literature searches, analyze and evaluate evidence, and translate that knowledge into something clinically meaningful. As a part of the course, nurses select a specific hospital policy, and apply their knowledge to evaluating the evidence-base for it, working to ensure the policy reflects best practice.
Outcomes achieved/documented
Over the last two years, over thirty nurses have completed EBP projects through the EBP Nurse Scholars course. These projects have resulted in the development of standing orders, revised protocols, and updated education materials for patients and families. Several nurses have presented their work at national and regional conferences. Nurses' attitudes toward, and use of EBP resources have also improved as evidenced by pre- and post- course evalations.
Conclusions
This course taught nurses how to integrate evidence into practice at both an individual and systematic level. The EBP Nurse Scholars course has resulted in real changes in practice that have led to improvements in patient care. After participating, clinicians are better equipped to frame clinical questions, search for and analyze research evidence, and integrate it into practice. The conduit of the course also allows for practice changes to be integrated at a system level through the vehicle of our hospital's electronic medical record.
The project-based aspect of this courses is unique and innovative, and the success experienced, to-date, is worthy of sharing with other medical centers interested in equipping clinicians to engage in EBP, and integrating evidence into practice at a system level in a manner that promotes excellence in clinical care.