Principles of Research and Evidence-Based Practice

Evidence-based practice and research have been very instrumental in the practice of nursing. The two play a significant role in ensuring effective medical intervention thus quality, safe, and efficient clinical outcomes (Chien, 2019). Evidence-based practice (EBP) is the conscientious and judicious use of a combination of clinically acquired experience, current best evidence, and patient values to make health care decisions and guide healthcare processes. Through research, evidence-based practice can be strengthened. Research provides good grounds to determine the validity and effectiveness of various evidence-based practices. Through research, such EBP can be proved, improved, or done away with (Titler, 2018). Research and evidence-based practice are therefore generally aimed toward improving the quality of medical services and better patient outcomes.

The application of EBP in nursing encompasses various aspects in the scope of practice for advanced practice nurses. Advanced practice nurses play an integral role in the implementation of evidence-based practices in clinical settings, they also act as guides, educators, and role models to junior nurses and hence are important in the integration of research and evidence-based practice principles (Chien, 2019). It is therefore important to ensure advanced nursing practices are well acquainted with the principles of research and EBP and their effective implementation in their scope of duty. This paper will therefore analyze the various principles of research and evidence-based practices and their implementation for advanced practice nurses.

            A major principle of evidence-based practice is the quality of evidence hence improved decision making. This principle helps nurses to critically think and evaluate the validity of evidence in specific nursing situations. Apart from professional experience research often serve as a good source of valid and reliable evidence.  However, data from professional experience will still have to be validated and confirmed through research to ascertain its applicability. Awareness of available scientific research and evidence on key medical issues and clinical scenarios is therefore a recipe for well-informed evidence-based practices hence better health care services.

Quality of evidence can be ensured through appraisal of available evidence hence best evidence is defined in evidence-based research. Best evidence cuts across available scientific research, to evidence from experienced colleagues or personal experiences. In such cases, advanced practice nurses have to appraise and consider the best evidence in terms of years of experience, depth of research and source of researched evidence, and applicability or relevance to the case at hand (LoBiondo-Wood & Haber, 2021). However, evidence from scientific research should be given priority due to high levels of test, accuracy, and reliability in the hierarchy of evidence. In addition, the most recent evidence should be given priority during the appraisal. Appraising available evidence to identify the best evidence will therefore reduce medical errors and ensure quality EBP. Advanced practice nurses should therefore guide the process of evaluating evidence and educate junior nurses on the identification and application of evidence.

Having a major role in evidence-based practice, nurse practitioners have additional responsibilities in leading and collaborating with transdisciplinary teams to implement evidence-based practices across nursing groups. Based on the role of advanced practice nurses in relation to evidence-based practices, effective implementation of EBP requires the formulation of evidence-based rules and guidelines. Such rules and guidelines should spell out guidelines for critical appraisal of evidence to be used in EBP. This will ensure the use of best evidence and better health outcomes hence improved acceptance of EBP by advanced practice nurses. Hospital management should also put in place strategies of knowledge transfer to ensure evidenced knowledge acquired through research and experience is smoothly transferred to junior and transdisciplinary teams. This will foster the implementation and continuity of EBP in clinical care (Pereira et al., 2018).

References

Chien, L. Y. (2019). Evidence-based practice and nursing research. The Journal of Nursing Research, 27(4), e29. 
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmc6641093/ (Links to an external site.)

LoBiondo-Wood, G., & Haber, J. (2021). Nursing Research E-Book: Methods and Critical Appraisal for Evidence-Based Practice. Elsevier Health Sciences. 
https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=l8M1EAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=evidence+based+practice+and+research&ots=NHtxCcs2Fd&sig=STXFKPrVN0Rc_t9k4OROlaDFfgQ (Links to an external site.)

Pereira, F., Pellaux, V., & Verloo, H. (2018). Beliefs and implementation of evidence‐based practice among community health nurses: A cross‐sectional descriptive study. Journal of clinical nursing, 27(9-10), 2052-2061. 
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jocn.14348 (Links to an external site.)

Titler, M. G. (2018). Translation research in practice: An introduction. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 23(2), 1. 
https://ojin.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Vol%E2%80%9023%E2%80%902018/No2%E2%80%90May%E2%80%902018/Translational%E2%80%90Research%E2%80%90in%E2%80%90Practice.html