Evidenced Based Practice Essay -- Nursing

Evidenced Based Practice ( EBP) is essential to enable all nurses to provide the most current up to date practises for their patients. This process involves research, systematic review of current practices, critical thinking skills, evaluation and application to clinical practice taking into account patient preferences. It is vital for nurses professional autonomy to be able to justify their actions and demonstrate an understanding of why they perform the tasks they do. This defines them as unique professionals judged by their knowledge and not simply by their hands on skills. As stated by McSherry, Simmons & Pearce (2002); â€Å"Nurses are responsible for the care they provide for their patient. They have to be active, competent and autonomous in providing this care and be able to justify what they do. It is no longer acceptable for nurses to base care on ritual and tradition- they must be able to justify the decision they have made about appropriate care and treatment on the basis of a professional expertise which includes using research evidence to inform practice.† (p.1). One of the best known definitions of evidence based practice is; â€Å"The conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence about the care of individual patients.† (Sackett et al. 1997, as cited in Holland & Rees, 2010, p. 7). Individualised care and research is not a new concept. Florence Nightingale first demonstrated this through her note taking and analysis of data. As a result mortality rates were reduced for medical and surgical patients as hygiene practises were improved. (Schmidt & Brown, 2009). For today’s nurses this transcribes into using the best research knowledge to make clinical decisions that benefits the patient. This involves q... ...J .V., & Smyth, R.L. (Eds.). The evidenced- based practice manual for nurses. Sydney, NSW: Churchill Livingstone. Polit, D.F., & Beck, C.T. (2010). Essentials of nursing research: Appraising evidence for nursing practice. (7th ed.). Philadelphia, USA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Rees, C. (2010). Understanding evidence and its utilization in nursing practice. In Holland, K., & Rees, C. (Eds.). Nursing: Evidence-based practise skills. New York: Oxford University Press. Schmidt, N.A., & Brown, J.M. (2009). Evidence-based practice for nurses: Appraisal and application of research: Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Stillwell, S.B., Fineout-Overholt, E., Melnyk, B.M. & Williamson, K. M. (2010). Evidence- Based Practice Step by Step: Asking the clinical question: A key step in evidence- based practice. American Journal of Nursing, 110(3),58-61.