Critical care nurse
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Critical care nurse · Apr 2014
Examining the evidence to guide practice: challenging practice habits.
Nurses are the largest segment of the nation's health care workforce, which makes nurses vital to the translation of evidence-based practice as a practice norm. Critical care nurses are in a position to critically appraise and apply best evidence in daily practice to improve patients' outcomes. ⋯ Four practice interventions that are within the realm of nursing are critiqued on the basis of current best evidence: (1) turning critically ill patients, (2) sleep promotion in the intensive care unit, (3) feeding tube management in infants and children, and (4) prevention of venothromboembolism…again. The related beliefs, current evidence, and implications for practice associated with each topic are described.
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Critical care nurse · Apr 2014
Choosing the Best Evidence to Guide Clinical Practice: Application of AACN Levels of Evidence.
Evidence-based nursing care is informed by research findings, clinical expertise, and patients' values, and its use can improve patients' outcomes. Use of research evidence in clinical practice is an expected standard of practice for nurses and health care organizations, but numerous barriers exist that create a gap between new knowledge and implementation of that knowledge to improve patient care. ⋯ Using the levels of evidence, nurses can determine the strength of research studies, assess the findings, and evaluate the evidence for potential implementation into best practice. Evidence-based nursing care is a lifelong approach to clinical decision making and excellence in practice.