Norma E. Thurston and Kathryn M. King
Russworm and Larrabee’s (1999) six-step model for evidence-based practice (EBP) was used by
10 nursing teams to seek answers to clinical questions. These teams, primarily composed of staff nurses, participated in a health region-wide EBP program over 1 year. Overall, the model served as a useful mechanism for examining practice-derived questions. However, additional strategies needed to be incorporated by the project teams. These included making decisions about change/no change at an earlier stage than was suggested by the model; seeking additional evidence including survey data to benchmark “best” practices; and ensuring colleagues’ and managers’ …show more content…
The EBP program was judged to be highly satisfactory to participants and their managers.
© 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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HERE IS A powerful movement underway in nursing to embrace evidence-based practice
(EBP) as the standard for providing professional care to patients. EBP, as a concept, was first introduced in medicine as “. . .the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients” (Sackett, Rosenberg, Gray, Haynes, & Richardson, 1996, p 71). It was predicated on assumptions that the best evidence is produced from randomized controlled trials and that systematic review of the available trials contributes to a synthesis of relevant knowledge (Jennings & Loan,
2001). Meta-analyses and mega trials also lead to results worthy of being judged as the gold standard for evidence (Colyer & Kamath, 1999) because they represent rigorous attempts to overcome limitations inherent with small sample sizes and single studies. Other authors have argued that there are various levels of evidence, expanding beyond experimental research (Hadorn, Baker, Hodges, &
Hicks, 1996; Stetler et al., …show more content…
17, No. 4 (November), 2004: pp 239-247
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THURSTON AND KING
policy statements and standards for practice at the provincial and national levels mandating EBP, concurrent escalating costs for patient care delivery, and a desire by nurse managers to find a practical process to address clinical questions that would be amenable to replication. We describe an innovative mentorship program aimed at enabling nurses in the clinical community to understand and implement an evidence-based approach to practice.
We describe an innovative mentorship program aimed at enabling nurses in the clinical community to understand and implement an evidence-based approach to practice.
REVIEW OF PUBLISHED LITERATURE
Models for research utilization are based on common elements including identification of a problem, critical review of literature, translation of findings into practice, and implementation of change followed by evaluation of the new practice.
The importance of incorporating a process for planned change to implement new practices was emphasized in one model described by Goode and
Bulechek