Evidence-based clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) are summaries of best evidence, ideally from rigorous systematic reviews, which are then delineated as recommendations for practice. CPGs are a big help for busy clinicians – IF the CPG is based on evidence that is reliable and valid! This post will provide a “How
All month I’ve been discussing the major questions you need to ask when critically appraising a research study. In this post, I’ll review the subquestions you need to ask when determining whether you can apply the results to your patient or patient population. Using Evidence to Make Clinical Decisions The
This month I’m talking about the questions to ask when critically appraising a research study for use in your evidence-based nursing practice. In this post, I’ll address the question of determining if the actual research findings/results are significant and meaningful – What are the Results? (AKA Are the Results Important?) The major
Critical appraisal skills are essential for the nurse, regardless of role or clinical expertise. I introduced you to the topic of critical appraisal in evidence-based practice (EBP) in the last blog post. I provided the purpose of critical appraisal and overviewed the steps of critical appraisal. In this post, I’ll
Evidence-based practice (EBP) is the deliberate use of the best evidence that is tempered with your clinical expertise and the patient’s preferences and clinical situation. EVERY nurse is responsible for practicing according to the best evidence and research findings – therefore, every nurse needs to understand WHAT EBP is, HOW
In recent weeks, I presented an overview of what the three components of evidence-based practice (best evidence, clinical expertise, and patient preferences) really mean to the evidence-based practitioner. In this post, I’m going to present an overview of the evidence-based practice process, also known as the “A’s” – this post