NUR 3643-Deliverable 6-Evidence-Based Practice Proposal Practice Issue

 The lack of a standard approach to addressing unique patient issues not discussed in their manuals or institution’s policy often leaves nurses to render their service based on their general and sometimes insufficient knowledge. The lack of established and recognized Evidence-Based Practices in healthcare institutions leaves physicians and nurses stranded when they have to make innovative real-life decisions to avoid diagnosis, medical or care errors. According to Lehane et al. (2019), EBP stakeholders such as expert practitioners, patients, and national policymakers must be involved in EBP curriculum development. Therefore, there is a need to have a standard procedure and guidelines that would inform the clinician’s decision-making when faced with unique medical dilemmas. The necessity to utilize research to inform the health care givers’ decisions, considering professional ethics, patient preference and use of the individual practitioner’s skills, could not be overemphasized.

Research Question

Question: What is required to develop a guide for clinicians to apply current scientific knowledge and match it to patient preferences to increase medical and diagnosis accuracy and overall patient satisfaction?

This proposal focuses on developing a holistic EBP model based on the Revised Iowa model of EBP, focusing on patient engagement, utilizing the individual’s experience, and using external evidence of scientific research to improve healthcare decisions and outcomes. Considering that the EBP model development requires cooperation from the healthcare stakeholders, the proposal outlines the role of each stakeholder under evidence retrieval, evidence appraisal, plan for implementation, plan for evaluation, and the plan to sustain evidence change.

Evidence Retrieval

 Evidence retrieval is an essential link in EBP that ensures that the correct scientific research information is chosen. Evidence retrieval in EBP practice includes EBP curricula development, peer-reviewed article analysis, and seeking expert opinion. Analysis of Peer-reviewed articles entails external data necessary to collect. In contrast, specialist opinion from senior healthcare personnel and collecting preference information from patients and other healthcare stakeholders constitute internal data collection. According to Lehane et al. (2019), the provision of EBP at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels also ensures that clinical decisions would demand to be based on current clinical data, resulting in the best clinical outcomes. Additionally, analysis of the peer-reviewed articles and use of expert opinions enable clinicians to produce an effective evidence-based diagnosis, adhere to safety practices, and sustain changes in the healthcare practice.

Evidence Appraisal

 Evidence appraisal in EBP requires the efforts of all the stakeholders, such as librarians, physicians and nurses. For instance, librarians must train nurses to effectively access quality and valid research materials within their institutions. According to Fowler and McCarthy (2019), the evidence appraisal in EBP should consider the evidence’s quality, quantity, consistency, and risk aspects. The EBP appraisal process follows a phase path: forming a clinical question, researching for the evidence, conducting an evidence analysis, applying the evidence identified as effective and efficient, and assessing the outcome to inform future decisions (Dolezel, 2021). The appraisal of the scientific research on the subject matter and expert opinions should guide the clinician’s decisions and actions. Therefore, this proposal emphasizes that nurses should always confirm the quality, validity, and consistency of the scientific evidence used to make decisions.