Whether you are an aspiring nurse or an established RN, you probably know that the profession abounds with different modalities. Functional nursing, the team nursing model, primary nursing, and case management were all designed to improve patient care and enhance patient outcomes.¹

Add evidence-based nursing to the list.

First introduced by Florence Nightingale more than a century ago, evidence-based practice (EBP) combines the latest in clinical healthcare research with medical expertise and patient preferences to enrich the quality of healthcare.²

But what is evidence based practice, exactly? And why is it important to know and implement?

Read on to learn the basics of EBP, why it’s critical in today’s healthcare environment, and how it can help you understand how to be a better nurse.

Nursing Programs

What is Evidence-Based Practice?

Evidence-based practice is an innovative, holistic nursing technique that involves gathering, processing, and applying the most recent research findings to patient care.

Unlike some traditional nursing practice methods, or relying on colleagues for guidance, it asks nurses to:

• Use their research and critical thinking skills
• Leverage their clinical experience and medical knowledge
• Inquire about and confirm their patients’ preferences and expectations

The main goal of evidence-based practice is at the heart of nursing itself: to give patients the highest possible level of care and boost their health outcomes.

Examples of Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing

So, what does evidence-based practice look like in action?

A few examples of evidence-based nursing practice include:

• Administering oxygen to patients with COPD
• Identifying and addressing how a patient’s presentation of symptoms can be influenced by family members and loved ones
• Using noninvasive techniques to measure blood pressure in children
• Managing angina based on new evidence
• Recognizing alarm fatigue

Importance of Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing

Personal beliefs, advice from physicians and fellow nurses, and intuition all play into a nurse’s approach to healthcare.³ And while EBP also counts on these methods, it leans more heavily on the most cutting-edge clinical healthcare research available. Not only does this help nurses and other health professionals expand their body of knowledge, but it may also result in:⁴

• Fewer medical errors and enhanced patient safety
• Stronger standardized care (and fewer variations)⁵
• Better use of resources 
• Improved practice settings

All told it has the potential to give nurses and health professionals the confidence they need to make empowered, informed treatment decisions.

The Three Components of EBP

As discussed, evidence-based practice in nursing focuses on three core principles: clinical research, medical know-how, and patient preferences.

Research Evidence

New medical research is published almost daily in scientific journals.⁶ This alone shows why it’s so important for healthcare professionals to stay on top of the latest findings. After all, why use an outdated clinical tool or treatment when a novel approach may increase a patient’s success and satisfaction?

EBP in nursing relies on four levels of evidence:

• Level A, or results from randomized, controlled clinical trials
• Level B, or data obtained through non-randomized, quality-control clinical trials
• Level C, or information acquired through expert opinions and general consensus
• Level D, or decisions based on multiple forms of available evidence

One or more of these levels of evidence often serve as a roadmap for how a nurse decides to tackle patient care.

Clinical Expertise

“Clinical expertise” refers to your cumulative education and experience (or the education and experience you hope to gain).

Your expertise is individual to the positions you’ve held and the experiences you’ve obtained. But it generally involves:⁷

• Communication skills
• Problem-solving abilities 
• Medication management
• Infection control

These traits, as well as others, are not only needed in EBP but may also complement what you’ve uncovered in your research—and further shape your treatment decisions.

Patient Preferences and Values

Learning your patients’ preferences and values is widely seen as a crucial part of evidence-based practice.⁸

For example, one patient may want to experiment with alternative forms of healing—such as acupuncture and mindfulness meditation—while another might prefer medication over psychotherapy. One may have solid beliefs on end-of-life care, and another might be against certain interventions.

Ultimately, understanding your patient’s clinical preferences, as well as their culture and religious/spiritual beliefs, can help you craft a compassionate and potentially effective practice plan.⁹

The EBP Process

Evidence-based practice typically follows seven essential steps:¹⁰

1. Create an environment that encourages and supports curiosity
2. Ask questions, such as what a patient needs to improve their well-being or what kind of technology you can use in your treatment decision
3. Search for evidence
4. Evaluate the evidence
5. Implement the evidence into your practice 
6. Assess the outcomes
7. Share your results

A quick note here: Before implementing evidence-based practice, you must discuss your findings with your nurse manager (if applicable) and your healthcare team. Following this, you must receive approval and ensure your tactic complies with your facility’s procedures and policies.

Naturally, this isn’t the only process for evidence-based practice in existence. For example, the Johns Hopkins Evidence-Based Practice Model (JHEBP) uses a three-phase framework known as the PET process:¹¹

• Practice question – The JHEBP starts with a clinical inquiry based on the PICO format, or Population, Intervention, Comparison, and Intervention. In a nutshell, this involves identifying the patient population (or a group of people with a similar condition, symptoms, or complaints), exploring possible interventions and their risks, comparing alternative interventions, and determining the ideal (and potential) patient outcomes. 
• Evidence – In the second phase, clinical research is conducted to make sure nurses have a solid understanding of the most recent findings. Here, data is assessed for quality and strength.
• Translation – In the final phase, research is applied to developing a treatment plan or care tactics.

Will implementing evidence-based practice increase the time you spend on a specific patient case? Possibly. But the return on investment may be well worth your extra efforts—a topic we’ll turn to next.

Nursing Programs

Benefits of EBP in Nursing

EBP may be primarily focused on enhancing patient care and their overall health. And yet, it may also contribute to:

• Reduced healthcare costs – Florence Nightingale founded evidence-based practice when she collected evidence about the connection between unsanitary conditions and health problems; today, the same principle—finding, assessing, and applying clinical evidence to prevent illnesses—may save money for patients and healthcare facilities. 
• Decreased medical complications – Data-driven insights on a condition and treatment plans (such as medication) might lead to fewer medical errors.
• Enhanced autonomy in nurses – Nurses work with a patient’s entire healthcare team and consistently consult with other professionals. Evidence-based practice does not take away from this, but it does fuel independence by equipping nurses with more in-depth, advanced knowledge. 
• Better use of the latest technologies – Technology has been an absolute game changer in the healthcare field. Staying on top of the most recent studies and technologies will allow you to implement the latest tools (and potentially improve patient outcomes). 
• Increased patient satisfaction – By and large, patients want to be seen and heard. Understanding your patients’ preferences, values, and expectations can help ensure their needs and desires are met, and possibly uplift their satisfaction.
• Improved time management – Evidence-based practice can also help nurses attain what they need most: more time. By creating treatment plans based on research, they can concentrate on the most important aspects of patient care, cut down on activities that have no proven benefit, and use their time at work more wisely.

Above all, evidence-based practice naturally promotes lifelong learning, which may be key to remaining engaged with (and excited about!) nursing.

Challenges and Barriers to EBP Implementation

As you might imagine, nurses interested in exploring (and adopting) evidence-based practice might encounter a few issues along the way. These may include:¹²

• A lack of time to conduct clinical research
• Insufficient training in research methods
• Trouble with interpreting clinical data
• Inadequate financial, material, and colleague support

Fortunately, there are dozens of ways to get past these obstacles. Let’s have a look.

Strategies for Overcoming Barriers

The potential benefits of evidence-based practice may be all the motivation you need to overcome its perceived and actual challenges. But you can also take several active steps towards integrating into your daily patient care, such as:¹³

• Refining your time management skills to allow you enough hours to collect and analyze research
• Searching for a mentor, like a senior nurse who regularly uses EBP
• Engaging in interprofessional collaboration in nursing
• Attending workshops, seminars, and conferences associated with evidence-based practice
• Reaching out to your alma mater about getting library access

Another option? Looking into an educational institute that offers additional credentials in evidence-based practice—and demonstrates, first-hand, its power to elevate healthcare.

Advance Your Nursing Career with Alliant International University

There is a wealth of evidence based practice examples, from preventing infections through advanced sanitation protocols to managing pain in post-operative patients through a multi-pronged approach.¹⁴ Its versatility and value underline its growing importance in the healthcare field, a fact Nightingale knew from the start.

Alliant International University can help you develop the skills you need to effectively implement evidence-based practice in your nursing career. Whether you are interested in pursuing a bachelor of science in nursing or a master of science in nursing, nurse executive, our hybrid nursing school programs provide students with the education and training they need to succeed in the medical profession.

Make a difference in the world with Alliant International University.

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Sources: 

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12. Pitsillidou, Maria, Zoe Roupa, Antonis Farmakas, and Maria Noula. “Factors Affecting the Application and Implementation of Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing.” Acta informatica medica : AIM : journal of the Society for Medical Informatics of Bosnia & Herzegovina : casopis Drustva za medicinsku informatiku BiH, December 2021. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8800576/. Accessed October 29, 2024. 
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