Overview of Evidence-Based Practice

1 Overview of Evidence-Based PracticeCarol Boswell and Sharon CannonCh a p t e r Ob j eC t i v e sAt the conclusion of this chapter, the learner will be able to:1. Discuss the differences between Evidence-Based Practice and Evidence-Based Identify the evolution of Evidence-Based Practice within health Explain key aspects of critical State the specific steps involved in Evidence-Based List the steps needed to conduct a literature review to find evidence related to a teaching/learning y te r m s Critical thinking Evidence-Based Practice Evidence-Based teaching PSCOT formatIntroductIonAs nursing continues its migration toward professionalism and advance-ment

2 Of the profession, the idea of scholarship becomes increasingly important. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) (1999) states that scholarship in nursing can be defined as those activi-ties that systematically advance the teaching, research, and Practice of nursing through rigorous inquiry that (1) is significant to the profession, 1 Chapter 113/10/14 4:44 pm Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC. NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION(2) is creative, (3) can be documented, (4) can be replicated or elaborated, and (5) can be peer-reviewed through various methods (para.)

3 5). With the confirmation of Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) as a foundational aspect within nursing, the idea of methodically and analytically strengthening the fundamental principles while advancing scholarship to move EBP toward Evidence-Based teaching (EBT) is judicious and appropriate. According to Shultz (2009), nursing education requires work by all the members involved in the provision of the educational experience. This process takes time and energy as the questioning and evaluation of the educational expe-riences occur.

4 Careful steps and strategies for assimilating the multiplexity of the teaching/learning process require that each of us stay vigilant in ask-ing the right questions. The other side of the coin requires that nursing fac-ulty members stay committed to the lifelong pursuit of knowledge. Kuehn (2010) notes that the Institute of Medicine (IOM) demands that the nurs-ing workforce become a dedicated member at the decision table for health care, which in turn demands that nursing education take on the challenge of preparing the next generation to be successful in this expanded role.

5 While it is imperative that the health care delivered to patients be based on the best evidence , teaching processes used to educate nurses must also be based on best healthcare community has embraced, and even has come to expect, EBP. The different activities that are assumed within healthcare delivery are expected to be based upon the best evidence that is available. Can we expect anything less when we move into the area of teaching/learning? Wexler ( ) makes an interesting and true statement: All the rhetoric about pas-sionate teaching, and whether professors care about or value teaching, is meaningless if they are bad or ineffective teachers (para.)

6 4). Moving away from the idea that anyone can teach and toward the concept that effective and productive teaching must be founded on sound, defensible strategies becomes the desired outcome. No longer can academia accept mediocre teaching. Our overarching goal must be, Effective teaching results in suc-cessful learning. The nursing education community must ensure that the strategies and practices incorporated into the classroom and the learning environment are firmly founded on the best evidence as to what improves the acquisition of knowledge.

7 Boyer (1990) stated that we believe the time has come to move beyond the tired old teaching versus research debate and give the familiar and honorable term scholarship a broader, more capacious meaning, one that brings legitimacy to the full scope of academic work (p. 16). The handi-work of the scholar requires each of us to step back from only encouraging 2chapter 1: Overview of Evidence-Based 213/10/14 4:44 pm Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC. NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTIONan individual s exploration and move toward networking, constructing connections between theory and Practice , and communicating knowledge efficiently to students and others.

8 The process of bringing each of the mul-tiple threads together to form a beautiful tapestry of teaching and learn-ing necessitates the scholar to organize and conceptualize the components based upon the best evidence available. It requires willingness to try new ideas and struggle with the process while keeping an eye on the goal of improving the educational process. Shultz (2009) summarizes the ideas in the statement: Every faculty member can contribute to the development of the science of nursing education by searching for evidence to support the teaching strategies and evaluation methods to be used in their courses and talking with colleagues about gaps in our knowledge when such evi-dence is not found (p.)

9 302). Each and every one of us must accept the responsibility to strive for innovative avenues to engage the student and transfer the knowledge needed to result in competent healthcare providers. In addition to seeing what is currently available in the evidence , we must validate the evidence through research and quality improvement PersPectIvesThe nursing process has been at the foundation of nursing Practice for well over three decades. Beyea and Slattery (2013) confirm the idea that EBP pro-vides the foundation for clinicians and patients to use for the engagement of shared decision making as it relates to individualized healthcare man-agement.

10 The profession of nursing has begun to look beyond this foun-dation toward knowledge based upon a firm underpinning of evidence . Malloch and Porter-O Grady (2009) termed this movement as disciplined clinical inquiry. Disciplined clinical inquiry provided nurses with alterna-tives that allowed learning and engagement with the knowledge available, as it applied to nontraditional settings. The concept of disciplined clinical inquiry evolved into the current term critical thinking. As the profession was challenged to base the provision of care on sound knowledge sup-ported by evidence , the inspiration for EBP was was first acknowledged in the 1970s.