The Role of Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing: A Position Statement

This position statement analyzes the role of evidence-based practice (EBP) in nursing, emphasizing its importance in improving patient outcomes and aligning with nursing standards. It defines EBP as the integration of current evidence, clinical expertise, and patient preferences to guide decision-making. The essay explores the benefits of EBP, such as advancing healthcare and individualizing patient care, while also addressing challenges like the need for continuous learning and time constraints. It examines how registered nurses can implement EBP, even without formal training, by evaluating patient conditions, conducting research, and critically reviewing evidence. The paper highlights the importance of adhering to nursing standards, such as those set by the NMBA, to ensure safe and effective healthcare delivery. It concludes that EBP is crucial for healthcare professionals, particularly registered nurses, to deliver the highest quality patient care, despite potential obstacles like heavy workloads and evolving research findings. The essay underscores the need for ongoing education and commitment to EBP to optimize clinical practice and enhance patient outcomes.

Running head: POSITION STATEMENT 1
Position Statement
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

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Topic 1
Evidence-based practice is basically an important decision making procedure that is
based on utilizing the most contemporary clinical evidence, current research findings, patient
preferences and clinical experience. Medical experts are expected to comprehensively
incorporate and implement the research findings into clinical practice. Nonetheless, most health
professionals have not been trained on how to conduct this. Therefore, nurses are not expected to
incorporate evidence-based practice prior to training.
Position Statement
Evidence-based practice entails the cautious utilization of contemporary evidence to
make appropriate verdicts concerning patient care (DiCenso, Guyatt & Ciliska et al., 2014). It is
an approach which aids in solving administrative and clinical practice concerns. It integrates a
suitable critical appraisal and search of essential data which can help in solving urgent clinical
questions (DiCenso, Guyatt & Ciliska et al., 2014). Furthermore, it also incorporates a nurse’s
clinical expertise and patient’s values and preferences (Gone, 2013). Therefore, it is a reliable
process which enables health experts to research on clinical issues and any other relevant
information and applies the findings to actual practice (Blais, 2015). This position statement
seeks to identify and analyze both the positive and negative sides of evidence-based practice
employed by registered nurses. It will also develop a conclusion on the basis of the standards of
practice of nurses. Moreover, it will examine how evidence-based practice can be applied to aid
in improving patient outcomes. Finally, the position statement will explore how realistic medical
practitioners more so registered nurses can implement evidence-based practice without support
or training in any clinical setting.

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Registered nurses are compelled to adhere to the stipulated standards and regulations
so as to deliver quality healthcare. Standard 6 of the Registered Nurse Standard for Practice of
the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) 2016 necessitates that registered nurses
ought to provide responsive, appropriate and safe healthcare. Additionally, this should be done in
accordance with the best evidence that is available to attain planned outcomes (Blais, 2015).
Standard 6.3 requires that practice is delegated to enrolled nurses to enhance the provision of
personalized care (NMBA, 2016). Consequently, evidence-based practice is in accordance with
these standards because it entails the capability to individualize patient’s care. The practice also
helps in reducing the cost of care and boosts the experience of the medical professionals
providing care.
Evidence-based practice has been beneficial for the healthcare sector. First, it has
significantly aided in advancing the healthcare industry (Townsend, 2013). It has made the
methods of providing care and service delivery dependent on credible evidence. Subsequently, it
restrains the views of medical experts to be only considered as ideas rather than facts (Harvey
and Kitson, 2015). It is important to note that credible evidence entails the combination of
various findings obtained through research; therefore, it is accurate and verifiable.
Evidence-based practice can be effectively implemented both clinically and
theoretically by registered nurses through various steps. First, they have to evaluate the various
patient conditions since sick persons might be unable to comprehensively explain their specific
medical problems. Similarly, additional and key information can be obtained mainly through
sufficient inquiry from the diverse patients (Greenhalgh, Howick and Maskrey, 2014). The next
vital approach useful in attaining the implementation of evidence-based practice is to conduct
detailed research in regards to appropriate medical resources that are available. Subsequently, the

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evidence has to be critically reviewed to determine its applicability or validity. It is key to note
that all relevant information gathered can be appropriately applied to any patient’s clinical
concern on the basis of medical expertise (Cvach et al, 2013). Finally, adequate analysis ought to
be done to ascertain the appropriateness of the findings.
It is vital to note that standard Standard 5 compels registered nurses to develop effective
care plans for patients (NMBA, 2016). Subsequently, the plans should correspond to a
comprehensive and detailed evidence. Therefore, evidence-based practice improves a patient’s
outcome by incorporating additional information in the treatment hence better results
(LoBiondo-Wood and Haber, 2017). Failure by registered nurses to implement evidence-based
practice makes patients be at the risk of getting outdated and potentially harmful medical care or
advice (Gould et al, 2013). Constant learning is paramount since evidence is continuously
evolving. Therefore, the findings that were helpful in the past are not necessarily reliable
anymore. There are many instances where medical experts encouraged certain practices which
were later discovered that they were not beneficial (Howington et al, 2013). For example,
medical professionals previously encouraged the practice of having a baby sleep on his or her
stomach. However, after several studies, it was revealed that this practice contributed to infant
death syndrome. Nowadays, it is suggested that babies lie on their back during sleep time
(Greenhalgh, Howick and Maskrey, 2014). This is revealed to aid in reducing the risk associated
with cot deaths (Schneider & Whitehead, 2013) as well as suffocation.
Notably, itIt is achievable for registered nurses to adopt evidence-based practice even
without training. Additionally, this is because nurses possess self-efficacy skills hence would still
conduct research without any training. On the contrary, heavy daily workload hinders registered
nurses from coming up with contemporary evidence. Sometimes the researched data may be

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irrelevant. To ensure more evidence-based practice, mentoring and training of the health
professionals ought to be considered (Gray et al., 2013). Insufficient time and inadequate
comprehension of the medical journals may also curtail efforts to promote the practice.
Enormous healthcare literature which is published in various sources inhibits the ability of
medical experts to remain updated with contemporary evidence. Another challenge is lack of
authority to alter patient care measures.
Standard 3 of the nurse’s practice requires that registered nurses emulate a lifetime
learning approach (NMBA, 2016). It makes sure that there is constant professional development
in nursing care as well as practice. Most healthcare providers indicate a positive view of adopting
evidence-based approach since it is vital in improvingto better patient care. Nonetheless, the
speed of acceptance and implementation of evidence-based practice is slow (DiCenso, Guyatt &
Ciliska, . It is important to note that evidence-based practice can be effectively implemented
clinically by the registered nurses through a number of steps. First, the medical practitioners have
to intervene some of the conditions of patients since the ailing or sick persons might be unable to
explain their clinical problems on their own. In the same token, more information can be gotten
through an inquiry from their patients (Gone, 2013). The next approach to implement evidence-
based practice would involve conducting or carrying out further research or study on the relevant
medical resources. This would help in establishing some of the problems in regards to nursing
practice. Subsequently, the evidence ought to be reviewed to establish its applicability and
validity (Laska, Gurman and Wampold, 2014). As such, the slow speed may lead to delays in
service provisionAny useful information obtained can then be applied to the patient’s medical
condition based on patient preference and clinical expertise. Finally, analysis has to be done to
identify the suitability of the new findings.

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The efficient implementation of evidence-based practice poses new demands to the
nurses. For example, they nurses. They have to apply dependable evidence to particular
clients’client situations via adequate searching of related information or data, utilizing clinical
judgments, and subsequently putting into consideration clients’ preferences as well client
preferences and values (Hauck, Winsett and Kuric, 2013). Moreover, a nurse ought to be able to
recognize areas where there is knowledge gaps and should be to find finds ways of mitigating the
gapsthem. New nurses also lack the experience when dealing with evidence-based research. As
such, nurses ought to be trained on how to implement evidence-based research and practice.
Evidence-based practice, therefore, needs commitment so as to provide patients with
the finest and best possible health carehealthcare. In busy clinical environments, it is
fundamental that understanding where to get the most current and suitable evidence is the initial
step towards achieving prosperous evidence-based practice (Stokke et al, 2014). Consequently,
having the urge and confidence to transform clinical practice in regards to contemporary
information is critical. Frequently, registered nurses may not get the necessary answers they
require to improve practice. On the other hand, it is significant to understand that continuous
effort will bear positive results (DiCenso, Guyatt & Ciliska et al., 2014). The tough experiences
of not being able to find the most applicable evidence ought not to restrain nurses from engaging
in the process of evidence-based practice. However, this should aid in stimulating new research
which can aid in finding the evidence required.
Generally, in the contemporary health care management environment, due to the need to
ensure minimal cost, accountability in any results achieved, time efficiency and patient-focused
care, there is a necessity to implement an effective evidence-based practice (Scurlock-Evans,
Upton and Upton, 2014). Any researched information used to better healthcare ought to be in

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line with the nurses' ethical standards which outline how to deliver efficient care in diverse
clinical conditions. Appropriate implementation of evidence-based practice helps in solving
clinical problems hence better delivery of healthcare to patients (Silvestri et al, 2013). On the
contrary, if the evidence researched is irrelevant, then this process may prove to be disastrous.
The final position on evidence-based practice is that it is imperative in the nursing practice.
Moreover, this is because challenges like irrelevancy of evidence are minimal since the
researchers are professional medical experts (Schneider and Whitehead, 2013). Therefore,
evidence-based practice ought to be adopted by health practitioners more so registered nurses to
enable the efficient delivery of health services.
In conclusion, according to contemporary data on evidence-based practice and the
nursing standards, it is justifiable to state that the Evidence-based practice is beneficial to both
the patients as well as the healthcare sector. First, it has significantly helped in advancing and
promotion the healthcare industry by providing new ways of tackling patients’ issues and service
delivery. It is, therefore, patients. It is important for the registered nurses to adopt evidence-based
practice even without training to enable in providing quality health care (Harvey & Kitson,
2015). This is because nurses possess self-efficacy skills, therefore, would still conduct research.
On the contrary, heavy daily workload hinders registered nurses from coming up with
contemporary evidence (Gray et al., 2013). In this regard, nurses’ shortage should be addressed
to avoid workload and pressure in nursing. This would enable the nurses to work effectively and
provide quality and better services to the patients. In nutshell, evidence-based practice can be
effectively implemented clinically by the registered nurses through a number of steps which
ought to be effectively followed.

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