Introduction: Research and Practice in Nursing
Exploring new opportunities for the improvement of the quality of nursing services is a crucial step toward managing patients’ needs. Research serves as a powerful tool for determining how the identified goal can be accomplished. Evidence-based practice (EBP), in turn, provides the foundation for testing the efficacy of the designed frameworks. Therefore, EBP should be viewed as a tool for testing the research hypotheses and identifying the tools for improving the current quality of nursing services.
Research and Evidence-Based Practice (EBP): Focus
As a rule, research focuses on determining the relationships between the study variables. Testing the said variables and exploring the correlation between them is, therefore, the primary goal of a study. EBP, however, centers around the idea of evaluating the existing evidence and determining the most efficient strategy for attaining specific nursing goals (Murad et al., 2016).
Application of Research Findings in EBP: Discussion
Furthermore, research findings can be used to carry out EBP in the context of a particular facility. For instance, study results can be utilized as the means of designing an elaborate EBP strategy for meeting the needs of a specific population. Thus, the predictive models designed in the course of the study will be tested and used to improve patient outcomes in the designated area (Neher, Stahl, Festin, & Nilsen, 2016).
Conclusion: Implications for the Future
Since EBP allows exploring the implications of theories in nursing, it should be viewed as both an extension of the research and the tool for determining the existing opportunities in the target area. Research and EBP should be deemed as the elements of the framework for addressing patients’ needs. Thus, the foundation for improving patient outcomes can be built.
References
Murad, M. H., Guyatt, G. H., Domecq, J. P., Vernooij, R. W. M., Erwin, P. J., Meerpohl, J. J., … Briel, M. (2016). Randomized trials addressing a similar question are commonly published after a trial stopped early for benefit. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 82(1), 12-19.
Neher, M., Stahl, C., Festin, K., & Nilsen, P. (2016). Implementation of evidence-based practice in rheumatology: What sociodemographic, social cognitive, and contextual factors influence health professionals’ use of research in practice? Journal of Rheumatic Diseases and Treatment, 2(3), 1-8.