The Importance Of Evidence-Based Practice

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Evidence-based practice (EBP) is an interdisciplinary approach to clinical practice that many organizations are being utilized. “The benefits of EBP, including greater cost effectiveness, and better patient safety, clinical outcomes, and patient and staff satisfaction are widely acknowledged” (Embedding a culture of evidence-based practice, page 14). In this paper, I will discuss how evidence-based practice is being utilized in the organization I work for, how nurses at the bedside are encouraged to participate in planning and implement evidence-based changes and what factors are available for nurses to use when implementing evidence-based practice. I will also discuss how nurses can suggest or help improve evidence-based practice and sustain a positive environment for EBP. The organization I work for is Kaiser Permanente. Evidence-based practice is focused on providing the best care to their members based on the highest level of knowledge derived from the systematic inquiry. Kaiser Permanente utilizes evidence-based practice by encouraging the nurses to participate in research to voice their ideas and help shape the future of nursing. The research provides the most objective means of determining how to deliver the best care to the nursing practice and deliver the best service. Since Kaiser encourages the nurses to participate, they developed nursing research program to enhance research and evidence-based nursing practices. I work in the Surgery department in the pre-operative and post-operative phase. One of the EBP that we use is intravenous antibiotic prophylaxis prior to surgeries. Studies have shown absolute decrease of infections and length of hospital stay. The timing of preoperative prophylaxis is crucial. “F... ... middle of paper ... ...s the tools to educate but putting the time to educate the nurses is important. For the workplace resistance, change is hard for some nurses especially the seasoned nurses. Sometimes nurses are intimidated with using technology. I can take the time to teach my peers on how to use and access information to EBP and feel less intimidated. In conclusion, EBP is an approach to clinical practice to help make decision about how to promote health or provide care by combining the best available evidence. Evidence-based practice are being utilized by many institutions and nurses are encouraged to participate in implementing the evidence-based changes. Nurses need to be vocal about implementing EBP because we are the patient advocates. In order to deliver the best patient care and outcomes safely, we need incorporate our nursing process with evidence-based practice.

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