Evidence-Based Practice and Its Potential Contribution to Nursing Knowledge - Essay Example

"Evidence-Based Practice and Its Potential Contribution to Nursing Knowledge" is a delightful example of a paper on care. 
Evidence-based practice is an approach that has been acquiring ground since 1992. It begun as evidence-based medicine and then incorporated into other disciplines such as education, nursing, psychology, and other fields. The basic principles of evidence-based practice are; all sensible and practical decisions should be founded on research findings and studies. These research studies should be selected and evaluated according to norms that are characteristic of evidence-based practice. These norms do not consider qualitative and theoretical studies but instead, they use quantities studies as these accounts for evidence. Researchers argue that if the criteria fail to be followed the result is research-based practice. Evidence-based practice aim is to promote health and provide care utilizing the available evidence. This evidence comprises of research findings results from the collection of data systematically. This is through observation, experiment, formulation of questions, and hypothesis testing. The first step of the process of the evidence-based process is formulating a well-structured question. This is followed by identifying literature that has evidence-based information that answers the formulated question. Then the evidence faces appraised to check its validity. The evidence is then applied which is followed by re-evaluating the evidence applied and areas that need improvement (LoBiondo-Wood, G., & Haber, J. (2006).

Evidence-based practice has contributed to nursing by promoting health and providing care by incorporated evidence from research with practitioner knowledge. Evidence-based practice has helped in identification research findings and incorporating them into nursing practice. This knowledge improves the quality of patient care. Evidence-based practice also contributes by providing the best quality and nursing care that is cost-effective. Evidence-based nursing is initiated by collecting, interpreting, and integrating valid and applicable research to nursing. These research findings are a result of random clinical trials, expert opinions, and case reports. For evidence-based nursing to be successful, health experts should understand the research concept and how to evaluate research accurately (Salmond & Susan W., 2007, 114-127).

Evidence-based practice use is dependent on nursing student’s skills. This is by using their skills to understand and critique research findings and literature that is given to them in the clinical setting. According to Royal J, nursing students should attain preparation requirements, which involve generating care plans for the sick, covering processes of pathophysiology, and maintaining complex data of pharmacology.

The main barrier to implement evidence-based practice is the practitioner’s capability to evaluate research, access journals, and hospital support to allocate time to evidence-based nursing. Several factors in the hospital can hinder research and development. These include workload pressure, time, and competing priorities.

The nursing practice environment can cause resistance to change to conventional modes of practice. This resistance is due to sticking to traditional modes of practices, the cost of implementing new practices, and failing to rewrite existing procedures. Health practitioners who resist these changes should be advised that the evidence-based practice goal is to better nursing care.

Another barrier is the lack of continuous learning programs. Practices have no means to organize workshops to teach the new skills. This is due to a lack of staff, funding, and time. In this case, research is dismissed.