Essay Sample on Evidence-Based Research

Introduction

While it appeared that this course and its topic on evidence-based research would be the less interesting, it turned out to be fun and above all, the most educative unit. Perhaps what makes the course educative is its relevance and realizing how important the subject of evidence-based research is in the nursing profession. Several vital pieces of knowledge were picked from the lessons on evidence-based research all of which cannot be mentioned here but a few.

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The most important detail related to evidence-based research would be the terminology and what is not usually understood about its meaning. One this is that the terminology is often used in two connected but different ways. The first one is to denote the information that nurses and medical practitioners at large can use in the decision-making process about the patient's care CITATION Bur10 \l 1033 (Burns & Grove, 2010). Such information can be derived from sound research and not people's individual decision. In this case, practitioners ought to search several materials such as published or electronic medical journals. Evidence-based research is also used broadly to refer to the practices and instructional programs supported by credible studies. Despite some of the evidence-based research not manualized or scripted, the can be any practice that has replicable instructional procedures such as philosophies, learning material or methods since such information is equally applicable to nursing in specific ways.

Besides the terminology, another significant lesson about evidence-based research from the course is how to incorporate it in the daily practice as an essential skill in nursing. According to Melnyk and Fineout-Overholt (2011), practitioners in the contemporary healthcare arena and nurses are expected to continually use new information on research findings in their medical practice. The goal of using updated information is that it is a way of improving clinical decision making and also means of providing the best possible care to patients. Employing evidence-based research works best when the medical institution supports it. Nurses work together with the institution in ensuring the development of a culture that promotes the practice of evidence-based research. This course mentions a few ways of accomplishing this which are similar to those provided by Mantzoukas (2008). According to the Mantzoukas, nurses can develop a culture that promotes evidence-based research through self-directed learning which is part of the profession, supporting the use of best evidence in daily medical practice, studying to bridge the gap between research and practice and encouraging the study of trends in nursing practice.

Conclusion

While meticulous research on a particular issue in the field of nursing is good, it does not hold value until the findings are put into practice. In line with the beforehand statement, learning about evidence-based research can be worthwhile but practicing it as a nurse is what is important. As a nurse, whatever is absorbed on evidence-based research will be useful in the application of evidence-based practice. Among the possible ways that this knowledge will be helpful in the practical setting includes assessing the patient and their requirements to see change. The information after evaluating the patient can be used to create a clinical question in line with their problems. This problem can then be solved through evidence accrued from existing research. However, as recommended by Brown, Wickline, Ecoff, and Glaser, (2009), appraising the evidence for validity in important first and this is one thing that will be considered during the nursing practice. The evidence once evaluated could be used on the patient with their preference and that of clinical experts.

References

BIBLIOGRAPHY Brown, C. E., Wickline, M. A., Ecoff, L., & Glaser, D. (2009). Nursing practice, knowledge, attitudes and perceived barriers to evidencebased practice at an academic medical center. Journal of advanced nursing, 65(2), 371-381.

Burns, N., & Grove, S. K. (2010). Understanding Nursing Research-eBook: Building an Evidence-Based Practice. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Mantzoukas, S. (2008). A review of evidencebased practice, nursing research and reflection: levelling the hierarchy. Journal of clinical nursing, 17(2), 214-223.

Melnyk, B. M., & Fineout-Overholt, E. (2011). Evidence-based practice in nursing & healthcare: A guide to best practice. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.