Evidence Based Practice In Nursing

In the field of nursing, few topics have been as popular as that of evidence-based practice (EBP). EBP was first introduced in 1992 and is an interdisciplinary approach to clinical practice. The introduction of EBP came because of the growing realization that there were major deficits in healthcare delivery that were resulting in significant harm to patients.

Evidence based practice attempts to bring three aspects of quality into the nursing field: intervention services, targeted health outcomes, and consistency with current research evidence. In order for EBP to become successful, its adoption by the nursing profession was crucial.

The nursing profession has been a leader in implementing EBP as a standard of excellence. Various EBP frameworks were developed, including the ACE Star Model of Knowledge Transformation, a simple and comprehensive approach that translated evidence into nursing practice. This model allows for access to summaries of research on a topic, which can be translated into guidelines, and then integrated into practice.

EBP has been especially transformative on nursing education. Major curriculum revisions were undertaken in order to assure that nurses were providing the safest and highest quality health care. Additionally, professional development programs for working nurses were introduced to update the skills of those delivering patient-centered care.