Evidence-based practice (EBP) is the integration of the best available evidence with clinical expertise and patient values for the delivery of quality care. It is a problem-solving approach to clinical practice that involves the conscientious use of current best evidence in making decisions about patient care.
The best available evidence is the research evidence that is most relevant to the clinical question at hand. It includes research studies that have been conducted using rigorous methods and that have been published in peer-reviewed journals.
Clinical expertise is the knowledge and skills that a nurse has gained through education, experience, and practice. It includes the nurse’s ability to assess the patient’s individual needs and preferences, and to make decisions about care that are consistent with the patient’s values and goals.
Patient values are the patient’s beliefs, preferences, and expectations about care. It is important to consider the patient’s values when making decisions about care, as these values may influence the patient’s willingness to accept or refuse treatment.
The difference between a nursing practice problem and a medical practice problem
A nursing practice problem is a clinical issue that nurses encounter in their practice. It can be related to the patient’s physical health, mental health, or social well-being. A medical practice problem is a clinical issue that doctors encounter in their practice. It is typically related to the patient’s physical health.
Here are some examples of nursing practice problems:
- How can I improve the pain management of my patients with cancer?
- How can I help my patients with dementia cope with their symptoms?
- How can I promote breastfeeding among my patients?
Here are some examples of medical practice problems:
- How can I diagnose and treat pneumonia?
- How can I prevent heart disease?
- How can I manage diabetes?
Why is it important to ensure your PICOT is based on a nursing practice problem?
The PICOT question is a tool that is used to frame a clinical question for research. It stands for:
- P: Patient population
- I: Intervention
- C: Comparison intervention
- O: Outcome
- T: Timeframe
It is important to ensure that your PICOT question is based on a nursing practice problem because this will ensure that the research findings are relevant to nursing practice. For example, if you are interested in researching the effectiveness of a new pain medication, your PICOT question should be specific to the nursing population that you are interested in, such as “In patients with cancer, how does the new pain medication X compare to the current standard of care in terms of pain relief and side effects?”
By ensuring that your PICOT question is based on a nursing practice problem, you can help to ensure that the research findings are used to improve the quality of care that nurses provide to their patients.
